According to NerdWallet, nearly half of homeowners cite unexpected home repairs as a source of anxiety. And no wonder — surprise repairs can be costly, and they also seem to pop up at the worst possible time. Fortunately, there’s something you can do to reduce the chances of those kinds of repairs being necessary: Maintenance!
Home maintenance can be daunting for a new homeowner. The list may seem endless, but if you break tasks down into categories that can be easily scheduled, you can take some of the pressure off and make it easy to stay on top of home maintenance.
Some maintenance can happen weekly, while other maintenance is only necessary once a year! To get you started, here’s a checklist of the kinds of maintenance you should be performing monthly if you want your home to stay in good condition.
Clean your drains and disposal. Pouring boiling water down a drain is a quick way to clean out sludge. If the drain is still moving sluggishly, baking soda and vinegar can help break up obstructions. Tossing some ice cubes into your disposal will both sharpen the blades and help flush out debris.
Check vents and filters. Clogged-up filters and vents can increase utility costs, as well as present a safety hazard in some instances. You may not necessarily need to replace HVAC filters monthly but keeping an eye on them will help you spot when they do need to be changed.
Demineralize faucets. Faucets and showerheads can build up mineral deposits slowly or quickly depending on how hard your tap water is. Hard water buildup can reduce water flow and even cause faucets to spray water in all the wrong directions. Soaking the faucet filter in vinegar is a quick and easy way to remove mineral deposits.
Check up on safety devices. Your smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detector, and fire extinguisher can only save your life if they’re functional! Be sure to replace smoke alarm and CO2 detector batteries every year, and double check that your fire extinguisher is up-to-date.
Doesn’t sound so hard, does it? If you can work these into your monthly routine, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble and expense in the long run. Once you’ve tackled those, you can start working on seasonal maintenance!
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