Owning a home is one of the best ways to invest in your long-term financial health, and can be fulfilling in other ways as well. But no homeowner wants to face plumbing problems, house fires, and other disasters related to their property. We can’t always prevent every bad situation in life, but maintaining your home can certainly reduce the odds of water damage, fire damage, and other problems associated with home ownership.
Print out this handy checklist of maintenance tasks and perform them accordingly, and you can protect your investment.
Every week:
- Check for plumbing leaks in obvious places (under sinks and around appliances) as you perform regular chores
- Purchase a hyrometer to monitor the humidity levels in your home, and check it weekly
Each month:
- Test your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Change the batteries when needed.
- Clean your stove’s exhaust hood. This will help to prevent overheating and fire risks. But if you use lots of oils when you cook, perform this tasks more frequently.
- Examine your water heater. If you notice leaks, a musty smell, or odd noises, call a plumber. Keep the thermostat set at a comfortable, but not scalding hot, temperature.
Every three months:
- Clean your gutters to prevent clogs that might redirect water toward your house.
- Check all of your electrical outlets to ensure they are working properly.
Every six months:
- Keep your carpets looking fresh and clean, and protect their warranty, by having them professionally cleaned.
- Clean all windows, including screens.
Every other year:
- Inspect your plumbing for hidden leaks. It is always better to prevent water flow problems (and therefore broken pipes, back-ups and water damage) than to deal with the mess afterward. Hire a plumber for this task if you’re comfortable doing it yourself.
Of course, no amount of maintenance will always prevent every problem. If you do experience a house fire or water damage event, give us a call right away. We will mitigate the damage as much as possible, and work with you to get your house in order again.