0

Home Maintenance Checklist – How to Do Basic Home Maintenance

A clean and sparkling home that radiates beauty is the cynosure of all eyes. But, while buying your dream home takes you over the moon, it takes hard yards and meticulous efforts continuously to maintain its irresistible charm.

You need a systematic approach and detailed planning to keep your home clean and hygienic. Home maintenance comprises a long list of tasks that needs to be done continuously as there is always a floor or surface to be cleaned in your house.

This article discusses home maintenance checklists that list tasks to be performed in an orderly fashion on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, and annual basis.

You may get intimidated at the sheer volume of cleaning assignments before you, and doing tasks randomly may leave you overwhelmed. Thus, you need to follow a well-defined home maintenance checklist to maximize your home cleaning efficiency.

Use the following checklists as the basic reference and modify them according to your cleaning schedule and house design.

Inspect and Clean the HVAC Filters

As your HVAC filters accumulate lots of dust, these require cleaning every month. It is especially important if you have pets at your home or you host guests frequently every month.

If you forget to clean your HVAC filter monthly, try using cheaper filters that need replacement with new ones rather than cleaning every month.

Check Your Fire Extinguisher

Ensure to check your fire extinguisher every month by inspecting its nozzle carefully and cleaning any accumulated dust or garbage. Also, check if your fire extinguisher has the correct pressure and make sure there isn’t any wear and tear on its body.

If you find any issue with your fire extinguisher, send it for repair. It’s essential to always keep your fire extinguisher in working condition for avoiding damage due to any fire-related incidents.

Clean Kitchen Sink Disposal

Clean your kitchen sink disposal at least once every month as it takes a lot of garbage daily. As a result, the sides of the disposal wall are at risk of bacterial growth.

To clean and disinfect this region, prepare vinegar ice cubes by freezing some vinegar in an ice cube tray. Now operate the disposal after dumping the vinegar cubes into it. While ice sharpens the blades, the vinegar disinfects, cleans, and freshens the inside of the disposal.

Clean the Range Hood Filters

Your kitchen emits lots of smoke and grease every day that is trapped by the range hood filters. Thus, you need to clean this filter every month to not accumulate a greasy mass.

To clean the range hood filters, use a mixing solution of degreaser with hot water. Now dip the filters in this mix for a few minutes and rinse them clean.

Clean Bathroom Taps, Showerheads, and Faucet Aerators

Clean your bathroom showerheads, taps, and faucet aerators once every month for removing mineral deposits and preventing rust formation. This will make them look brand new.

Inspect Drains

Inspect and clean the tub and sink drains to avoid debris accumulation and clear any clogged pathways. You may clean drain pipes using frozen vinegar for ensuring efficient cleaning and sanitization.

Flush Toilets in Unused Bathrooms

If you have unused bathrooms in your home, including guest rooms, ensure to run water and flush toilets at least once every month to prevent the buildup of grime and other debris.

Some items in your house require quarterly maintenance checks, such as garage door, smoke detectors, water softener, water system, etc.

Test Smoke/Carbon Dioxide Detectors

It is essential to periodically test your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors for ensuring effective safety against accidental fire damages. Test the smoke system using the test button and see if the alarm goes off and works efficiently.

Check if the batteries require replacement or not. Sometimes you may need to clean the battery terminals and seek professional help if the issue persists.

Check Water System in Unused Places

Ensure to clean the guest rooms and guest bathrooms every quarter. Flush the toilet for clearing debris accumulated over many months. Test the sinks and drains by running water through them and check for any pest infestations.

Check the Water Softener

Inspect your water softener to check if it is working optimally. Also, check if you need to add more salt to it.

The biannually home maintenance checklist involves long-term appliance maintenance and cleaning tasks that need to be done every six months. In the long term, it saves you a lot of money.

Dust Every Nook and Corner of the House

After every six months, ensure to clean all the appliances, furniture and windows. For uncarpeted washing areas, use a cleaning solution of detergent mixed with water. While washing with water, ensure to cover those areas that may get spoiled by water.

Don’t forget to clean your rugs and carpets. In short, you should remove dirt and dust from every nook and corner of the house.

Clean the Whole House

Make a detailed plan of cleaning your complete house at least twice every year. Take the help of your family members and assign them different cleaning tasks or areas to clean. Your cleaning plan should include cleaning every nook and corner of your house.

Right from the corners to windows to the garage, remove the dust and grime accumulated over a period of a few months. Ensure to remove fungus and keep nesting pests at bay. A thorough biannual cleaning keeps your house sparkling clean and prevents infections.

Clean the Fridge Coils

The coils of the fridge are the site of heat exchange. The cooling efficiency of your fridge depends on the optimal heat exchange between the coils and the outside air. Unfortunately, these coils accumulate dust and grime over time, resulting in the reduction of their functionality.

Thus, you must vacuum the refrigerator coils every six months to keep them clean. It maintains the optimal functioning of your refrigerator and also helps in reducing electricity costs.

Gardening Time

Your garden looks great only when you maintain it periodically. On any holiday, engage yourself in gardening activities. Ensure to pick the dried leaves and remove any dead plants. Also, pluck weeds and other unwanted debris in your garden area.

Arrange furniture in your garden to make it look more appealing. Also, plant new trees in your garden so that it looks green in all the seasons.

Inspect and Replace Smoke Detector Batteries

You will get alerts when the batteries of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors fall below recommended levels. However, you can inspect and replace the smoke detector batteries if required every six months as a preventive measure.

This way, you can have enhanced safety against fire-related incidents.

Water the Inverter Batteries

It’s crucial to fill water in your inverter batteries after every few months. You may fill distilled water in these batteries once every six months. This helps in increasing the efficiency and shelf life of your batteries.

Check the Pressure Relief Valve of the Water Heater

Your water heater features a pressure relief valve that ensures the safe functioning of the device by preventing your water heater from over-pressurizing.

As this relief valve is not subject to movement often, over time, it may get rusted. Thus, you need to inspect the valve regularly to check if it is functioning properly. Also, look for the signs of rust accumulation at the outlets and inlets.

Print the maintenance checklist and paste it on your refrigerator. Ensure to go through this list to perform the necessary maintenance tasks on time. This helps in carrying out the yearly tasks for a well-maintained home.

Clean the Gutter and Drainage

The gutters and drains of your house accumulate dirt, dust, leaves, sediments, and other debris over one year. Thus, you need to clean them once every year.

While cleaning the gutter and drainage, inspect the slope and check for the presence of any damage or wear and tear. Ensure no unwanted openings in the gutter and drains that may cause the external objects to fall and clog the gutter.

Clean Chimney pipe and Gas Pipe

Your kitchen chimney is subjected to a flow of smoke and grime throughout the year. To maintain the uninterrupted flow of smoke, clean the kitchen chimney regularly.

Ensure to check gas pipes for detecting any leakage, breakage or incorrect bends. Address the loose ends on the gas pipe immediately for enhanced safety.

Clean Exhaust Vents

The exhaust vents get coated with dirt, dust, pollen, and grime over time. This results in the circulation of dirty and unhealthy air in the home surroundings. Ensure to get your vents cleaned by professionals once every year.

Do Pest Control

It is essential to take measures for safeguarding against pest infestations. You must do the pest control by spraying insecticide in damp areas for eliminating the pest colonies.

If you have a large property, get it inspected by an exterminator to check for bird nests and rodent burrows.

Inspect Furnace and Boiler

If you have an inefficient furnace or boiler, it consumes lots of power and increases your heating costs. Thus, you need to inspect the furnace and boiler every year and take corrective measures to maintain optimal functionality.

Repair the Roof Surface

You should inspect your roof once every year to see any damage and need any repairs. Over time, the paint on your roof may chip off, or there may be holes in some areas. Get your roof repaired in time if needed to contain any damage at the earliest.

Paint Your House

You need to get your house painted or at least a touch-up on the paint every year. Inspect the paint on your home exterior to see if it started to fade or wear off.

You can do the touch-up on the paint yourself or seek professional help for putting a fresh coat. Don’t paint your house during the monsoons as the rain or moisture may damage the wet paint.