Home maintenance is something that often gets overlooked by homeowners. In some cases, it’s because homeowners forget to take action. They live busy lives, so home care tasks get away from them.
In other cases, it’s because of money. Homeowners don’t have the spare cash to take care of pressing problems, leading to 82% of homeowners needing at least one repair.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can do. Here are eight tasks, from free to paid, to put on your summer home maintenance checklist.
1. HVAC Maintenance
Some HVAC systems can work fine without a problem. However, they will only stay that way for a while. Over time, HVAC systems can degrade and need to receive the proper maintenance.
At a bare minimum, you should have the filters replaced every few months. Doing so will help the air flow more freely and prevent the HVAC system from working as hard.
You can also work with an HVAC home services company to do maintenance yearly. They can do filter swaps, HVAC tuning, and other common HVAC maintenance tasks.
2. Care for the Yard
You won’t have time to care for your yard if you’re away too much of the year. It may not be as big of a deal in the winter when growth becomes stunted. But if you are away for some of the summer months, you may find things become overgrown.
It pays to work with landscaping companies that can be there when you aren’t. A landscaping company can care for and maintain your home outdoors in the yard and help you maintain an amazing landscape.
They can help with mulching, tree-trimming, hedge clipping, and any other task. They can even help you design new landscape features to give your yard a fresh look.
3. Clean the Interior
A home can get dusty without regular upkeep, which is a problem if you want a clean home when you’re away or have allergies. It requires regular cleaning to keep the air and surfaces from allergens and dirt.
A home cleaning service can offer this ability. New smart locks allow you to create unique codes for individuals. You can give a cleaning company the code for your home to arrive at specific periods and clean. Doing this will help you maintain a clean home with fresh air and be ready to relax when you arrive.
4. Care for Your Home’s Exterior
Your home’s exterior also deserves care in your summer home maintenance checklist. Exteriors can get dirty during the year, and roofs can sustain damage. You’ll also have leaves and other debris clogging the gutters.
Have a home care company come to your home to take care of home exterior tasks. You can take care of anything they don’t handle during the summer when at home.
Although homeowners easily do many exterior tasks, take care if you have external items like solar panels. Consider the DIY vs hiring professionals for solar panel cleaning conversation to determine if it’s something you can deal with yourself or if you would rather an expert handle the job.
5. Check the Attic
Unfortunately, your home can sustain damage when you aren’t there, and that’s sometimes hard to spot. Much of the time, it’s because of the roof. There’s damage that causes water to leak into the attic.
Make sure to look at the attic if you have one. If not, inspect the upper ceilings and walls. Look for damp spots, mold, and other signs of leaking.
If you find any, call an inspector to examine your roof. They can find and patch the leak in your roof to ensure your summer home stays dry.
6. Look for Air Leaks
As time passes, the quality of the seals around your windows and doors will degrade. When this happens, air can leak into your home, making it harder to maintain the temperature inside. Although this is a minor problem, if the leaks are small, these issues can continue expanding and create a bigger headache.
Look for these leaks as part of your home care checklist. You can use weatherstrips and other materials to seal the problems and make it easier to maintain your home’s indoor air quality.
7. Test Smoke Detectors
Smoke detectors will last long, but the batteries will eventually go out. Although most detectors will alarm you if the battery is low, it’s possible to miss the warning signs and end up with a dead smoke detector.
Be sure to test the smoke detectors in your home to ensure they are working correctly. Smole detectors under 10 years old will need their batteries replaced. However, if the detector is over 10 years old, investing in a new product may make more sense.
8. Look for Bugs
Summer is the perfect month for bugs to invade your home. It’s warm outside, so they are highly active during these months. They will find a way inside if you have any openings in your home.
Keep an eye out for any bugs during the day. Ants, bees, rodents, and other animals can get inside, leaving traces behind.
If you find any, see if you can find the source of the infestation. You can often make small repairs to reduce the chances of it happening again. If the infestation is too large, you may need an exterminator to help remove the problem.
Make your Summer Home Maintenance Checklist
You won’t always have much time in the summer to handle common tasks, so there may be times when you forget to work on home maintenance. Doing so occasionally isn’t a big deal, but if it goes on too long, you may end up with a mess and expensive repairs.
But you can maintain your home easily if you create a summer home maintenance checklist. Create a list of the common tasks and a schedule for getting things done. When you do, you’ll have a home that’s always in great shape and ready to relax in.
Do you want to learn a few more tips to make summer maintenance easier? Our website has many more articles about home care and maintenance, so be sure to check them out for more great tips.
