10 Home Maintenance Tips

vemuda.com - Congratulations! Whether this is your first home or your fifth home, home maintenance is something that's very important to make sure you stay on top of so that the value of your home doesn't decrease unnecessarily.

Today we're going to talk about several things that you can do, whether it's once or twice a year to make sure that all the systems and important parts of your home stay in working condition. 

Source: unsplash.com by Rowan Heuvel

Number one. Make sure if you have any trees with  branches that are hanging over your roof or  maybe even touching them, have them trimmed back so that they're not touching your house or even close because you don't want pests and rodents to use that to be able to get into your house. Another thing is it helps protect your roof shingles from moisture, and trees sitting on it and causing it to kind of rot and soften. Those are two things that you definitely don't want. 

Number two. I would check your HVAC systems. You want to replace your filters every 45 to 60 days. If you've got pets or bad allergies, I would definitely consider monthly. And you want to get your system flushed and  serviced twice a year, typically before you start the air conditioning and then again in  the fall before you start the heating system. 

Number three. The hot water heater is another major component of your home and you want to make sure it stays in tip-top shape. I would recommend flushing your hot water heater once a year to remove any build up or particles that may be in the bottom of your hot water heater that are not good for the system. You can probably check out a YouTube video on how to DIY this, but there are also companies out there  that can do this for you as well. 

Number four. Make sure you go around your home  and check all leak prone edges. Over time the caulking that they use does tend to crack and will give way to moisture in areas that you don't want. So check bathrooms, the showers, sinks, windows, doors, and like I said anything where water might be exposed to these edges that you don't want penetrating into your home. This can easily be fixed as a DIY so just go to your local  Home Depot or Lowe's or home improvement store, or just get a handyman in the area who can maybe help you with this as well. Super simple for anybody to do. 

Number five. Make sure you get rid of the dust. Sounds simple I know, and if you're like me you regularly vacuum and sweep and dust anyways. But dust is something that can get stuck behind the refrigerator, behind your washer, your dryer, the AC return vents, and really wreak havoc on those systems causing them to start to operate inefficiently. And once they start operating inefficiently, it really reduces the lifespan of those major components. So check for  dust and make sure you get rid of it.

Number six. Clean your gutters. The gutters are  a system that allows the rain to be collected and taken away from your house. So you want to  make sure they stay clean and free of debris and leaves, so that it can actually collect  the water and move it away from your roof, taking that extra moisture  out and away from your house.

Number seven. Kind of goes along with it. Extend those gutter downspouts. A lot of times gutters come down the side of the  house and they stop just below the ground with this tiny little piece where the water comes out  and the water will pool there if there's enough of it. You just want to add a piece or some sort of piping that will extend the length of that, so the water continues to flow out and away from your house not giving it any opportunities to pool or pond near your foundation, which can cause some serious damage.

Number eight. Make sure you are regularly checking  your smoke detectors. The batteries in them do go bad and the entire unit itself is recommended  to be replaced about every seven or eight years. They're not expensive, and you can buy a big bulk pack of them at your home improvement store. And depending  on when your house was built, a lot of them are just an easy plug and go exchange. If it's  not it's probably fairly simple to install that again you could DIY or check with a  handyman to help you install those things.

Number nine. Clean your dryer vents. Dryer vents can collect a ton of lint and even reduce the efficiency of your dryer itself. If you notice your clothes aren't drying as quickly or are the cycles completing and they're still a little bit damp, then you may want to have your dryer vent cleaned. I'm not just talking about between the dryer and the wall itself, there's actually a piece that goes behind the wall and up and outside and vents to the outside of your home. You can  have a professional come in and clean that out and not only will it increase the efficiency  of your dryer, again making the lifespan of that piece of equipment longer, it also will help reduce the chance of your home catching on fire because a lot of fires are started  because of built up dryer vent lint.

Number 10. Know where all of your utility shutoff valves are. Whether you have gas or not, electrical, and your water. Make sure you know where on your property those main shutoff valves are because when there is an emergency you're going to want to know where to go right to and not be searching, wasting time looking for that water shutoff valve while your whole house is filling up with the burst pipe.

Home ownership can be amazing and maintenance just kind of goes along with it. But fortunately a lot of these things you can do yourself  and are pretty simple to figure out.  

If not, most areas have a local handyman  or handywoman who would be willing to come help you out and show you for probably a  very nominal fee. Making sure your home is in tip-top shape is of utmost importance as  it is one of the biggest investments you'll ever make. I hope today's post was helpful  for you if you liked the post please don't forget to share it. I hope to see you guys again next time.