Your home is your biggest investment, and after finally being able to move into it, some homeowners may not know much about the required maintenance your home needs. Regular maintenance is a necessary part of homeownership. It retains your new property’s value and ensures you don’t have to deal with costly repairs later on.
Here are a few common home maintenance must-dos for first-time homeowners that would help you stay on top of home maintenance doesn’t have to be stressful:
Check Your Smoke Detectors
Smoke Detectors have quickly become a necessity and a requirement in all homes, avoiding approximately 54% of extreme fire damage and loss in homes. Almost two-thirds of home fires happen to homes with malfunctioning smoke detectors. Checking that your smoke detectors work will ensure that you get this additional layer of protection for disastrous events.
While you’re at it, also check carbon monoxide detectors and batteries and change them if need changing.
Test Your Locks
This may seem like a small thing, but never underestimate the power of working locks. One damaged lock in your home can make a difference between getting robbed, or even worse, or not. Do a routine test and change what needs replacing. If you have a home security system, this would also be a great time to test it.
Maintaining Your Lawn, Trees, and Hedges
It may seem like a daunting task but maintaining the lawn, trees, and hedges in your property regularly adds to the curb appeal of your home. Keep in line with the tradition of having your kids regularly mow the loan for a small allowance. Trimming hedges in your lawn to avoid them overreaching to your neighbors’ yard. Keep trees and other plants well-trimmed to avoid them touching your roof and house. It also avoids leaves in your gutter or small animals getting in your house.
Clean Your Garbage Disposal
The garbage disposal is something that you use every day, and in its everyday use, food debris gets stuck in it and can eventually lead to clogs or an unpleasant smell. Cleaning it regularly will avoid this.
Inspect Your Home’s Foundation
You can do a perimeter check or look through the crawlspace if you have it in your home. Look for cracks, water damage, and mold, and test for warping, rotting, and crumbling in the foundation. This may seem tedious and a lot of work but catching any damage sooner rather than later is best.
Clean Your Gutters
Gutters protect your home from rainwater, they work by diverting ran water from your home and its foundation. They should be regularly maintained to avoid water damage to your home.
Small upkeep like cleaning it and removing leaves, animal droppings, and in some cases bird nests, beehives, or dead animals will ensure that they work correctly. Do this regularly especially if you live in a wooded area. Removing rust and then repainting it can be part of an annual maintenance checklist and reduce the chances of damage and breakage.
Check On Your Furnace
There are a lot of things to watch out for when it comes to your furnace. If your furnace doesn’t work properly it can emit carbon dioxide that would be harmful to your health. The built-up soot in your furnace could also mean it’s not working efficiently and could lead to increase energy consumption.
Although this is not something that you may not be able to do yourself, calling a professional would be worth it. Some manufacturers, also offer after-sales services that you can take advantage of. Doing preventive maintenance could also avoid it from breaking down and save you from the unexpected expense of replacing it.
Test Your Deck’s Seal
Ensure that your deck or patio is repelling water, especially for wooden decks. If wood is exposed and absorbs water, it deteriorates and can eventually give out. Water should not seep into the wood, instead, it should bead and pool on the surface. Applying the sealer is easy enough to do but may take a lot of effort depending on the size of your deck.
Touch Up On Paint
Regularly doing touch-ups on your house’s painting will avoid it becoming a huge task later on. Besides your home looking better without any chipped, raised, or peeled-off sections, paint also acts as a moisture barrier and can prevent water damage to your walls.
Final Thoughts
Home Maintenance may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Doing the required maintenance regularly would make it more convenient and cheaper. Keeping your house in great condition would lessen the need for major repairs down the road that cost more and takes longer
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