What Home Maintenance Tasks (and When To Do Them)

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

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. 

• Check your boiler pressure

• Test your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors

• Clean the fluff out of your tumble dryer

• Top-up the rinse aid in your dishwasher

• Send your gas and eclectic meter readings to your utility companies

• Do maintenance work in your garden

• 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.  

• 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.

• 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. 

• 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.

• Use extractor fans or open windows occasionally to air out the house and prevent damp.

• Wipe down any condensation from wooden window frames to keep them from rotting.

• After very cold weather, check your pipes in case a freeze has cracked them and caused a leak.

• 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. 

• Get the chimney swept.

• Bleed your radiators.

• Clean and put away any garden furniture you won’t be using.

• Clear your gutters and drainage of fallen leaves to prevent blockages from causing flooding.

• 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.

• Insulate any pipes or taps that are outside. Insulation prevents them from freezing and bursting when temperatures fall really low in the winter.

• 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.  

• Get your garden furniture back out and clean it.

• Have your air conditioning cleaned and serviced by a company like DUCTZ, ready for the hottest temperatures. 

• Clean the deck or patio. 

• Any external woodwork should be cleaned, repaired, and repainted. Work on your fences, window frames, and doors. 

• Do any repointing that needs doing to your brickwork.

• 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.