Five Maintenance Steps for a Healthy Home

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There is a reason why there are homes that are over a hundred years old that aren’t just standing, but thriving. If that same property had been left locked up and even sealed tight, rot and nature would take over. The mere fact that the home had a family to care for it over the years is enough to keep it in healthy condition. 

Maintenance works. It works to prolong the lifespan of a home and it works by showcasing the small repairs needed before they become massive issues that cost an arm and a leg to repair. 

 

Your home deserves at the very least bi-yearly maintenance to be conducted, before summer and before winter. The same steps typically apply, so repeat when the time comes. 

 

Your Yearly Checklist 

 

To make your checklist easy, follow these steps:

 

1. Deep Clean Your Home 

 

Deep cleaning your home means going through and getting the carpets washed, cleaning your couches and curtains, even wiping down your walls. There are many spaces that don’t get cleaned in your regular set of chores, so try to get at them at least once, if not twice a year. 

 

2. Check and Seal Cracks and Broken Seals

 

Check the seals around your home and the walls for any cracks. If the crack looks like it’s really just paint lifting up in some humidity, there is no reason to worry. You can even fix that crack yourself with ease. If it looks like it goes deep and right into the plaster itself, then you should bring someone in for a better look. 

 

Try to repair all broken seals and cracks, so that your home is airtight and sealed for winter. 

 

3. Clean Out the Gutters

 

You will want to clean out the gutters of any debris twice a year at least. Unlike other steps, however, the springtime clean for this step will probably happen after the blossoms are done with. Flowers, seeds, and other spring-time joys will end up in your gutters after spring is over, so aim to clean them out just before summer and just before winter. 

 

4. Check Your HVAC Unit 

 

Your heating and cooling unit takes a hard hit both during the winter and in summer. Getting a professional yearly HVAC maintenance service out to your home is one of the best things you can do for the lifespan of your HVAC unit, as well as for your family. A fully cleaned and maintained HVAC unit is better for the air quality and the function of your home, so invest in professional maintenance at least once, if not twice per year. 

 

5. Prep Your Landscaping 

 

There are many ways to prep your exterior. Rake any leaves, wrap delicate bushes, put a cover on your pipes and over your outdoor furniture, and of course make sure you have pruned your plants for spring. 

 

Prepping your home and deep cleaning it twice a year will make sure that the chores you go through are minimal. Letting these areas build up will only put your home at risk and make the big fix expensive and stressful. Tackle these bi-yearly maintenance tasks, and you protect your investment.