What Home Maintenance Tasks (and When To Do Them)
What Home Maintenance Tasks (and When To Do Them)
A well-cared-for home is much nicer to live in, looks good, and is safer for your family too.
Written by Liz Bayardelle, PhD | See Comments | Updated 08/13/2021
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What Home Maintenance Tasks (and When To Do Them)
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It’s important to keep your home well maintained. Home maintenance matters for several reasons. A well-cared-for home is much nicer to live in, looks good, and is safer for your family too. If you can keep your home well-maintained, you can deal with repairs much less often, which will save you money, time, and stress. Here’s your essential home maintenance checklist and what you should be doing when.
Monthly Tasks
There are some tasks that, regardless of what season it is, you should be doing every month to keep your home in the best repair.
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Check your boiler pressure
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Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors
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Clean the fluff out of your tumble dryer
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Top-up the rinse aid in your dishwasher
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Send your gas and eclectic meter readings to your utility companies
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Do maintenance work in your garden
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Check for any repairs that need doing and make them
Winter
Winter maintenance is about making sure your home is ready for harsher weather and colder temperatures.
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Check any trees and fences around your property for storm damage. Make any repairs as you find them to prevent fences coming down or trees falling onto your roof.
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Check your roof for any tiles that have moved during windy weather. If you find any damage, get a professional in as soon as you can.
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Clean any leaves or debris from the garden so they don’t end up in your gutters. Trim back any trees to prevent loose or dead branches from falling onto your house.
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Use extractor fans or open windows occasionally to air out the house and prevent damp.
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Wipe down any condensation from wooden window frames to keep them from rotting.
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After very cold weather, check your pipes in case a freeze has cracked them and caused a leak.
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Secure any large garden furniture if storms are forecast. Trampolines, for example, can be carried very long distances by strong winds.
Fall
In the Fall, work on winter-proofing.
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Get the chimney swept.
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Bleed your radiators.
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Clean and put away any garden furniture you won’t be using.
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Clear your gutters and drainage of fallen leaves to prevent blockages from causing flooding.
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Clear away any leaves or debris from around your walls to prevent damp. Rodents can be attracted to debris piles too, so get rid of them.
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Insulate any pipes or taps that are outside. Insulation prevents them from freezing and bursting when temperatures fall really low in the winter.
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Check that your security lights are working properly, ready for the darker evenings.
Summer
In the Summer, the warmer temperatures make it a good time to get work down outside.
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Get your garden furniture back out and clean it.
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Have your air conditioning cleaned and serviced by a company like DUCTZ, ready for the hottest temperatures.
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Clean the deck or patio.
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Any external woodwork should be cleaned, repaired, and repainted. Work on your fences, window frames, and doors.
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Do any repointing that needs doing to your brickwork.
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Cut back any large trees or shrubs that are close to the house. Pruning helps them use less water and makes them less likely to cause problems like subsidence for your home.
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About the Author
Liz Bayardelle, PhD
Founder | Contributor
Liz (or Dr. Mommy, as her toddler started calling her after learning what a PhD was) is the happily sleep-deprived mom of a toddler (and professional raccoon noise impersonator), a sparkle-clad kidnado, a teenage stepdaughter, 200 cumulative pounds of dog, and herd of dustbunnies (if daily vacuuming doesn't occur). During nights and naptimes, she uses her PhD in business psychology as an author, speaker, and consultant. She also serves as an executive and principal for three companies, two of which she co-founded with her very patient (and equally exhausted) husband.