Spring cleaning is fully underway as the snow melts and the flowers begin to bloom. Read our home maintenance and safety checklist to ensure you’re ready for March.
Hallways
- Test carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. Hold the test button down until you hear a loud siren. If you don’t hear anything, replace the battery.
Outside
- Inspect roofing. Look for leaks and missing, damaged, or loose shingles.
- Test your garage door. Make sure the auto-reverse feature works by placing an object underneath the garage door. If the door doesn’t reverse when it encounters the obstacle, it requires too much force and should be repaired.
- Check exterior drainage. Look for leaves or vegetation and clear any debris to make sure water flows freely.
- Get your air conditioning system serviced. This will ensure it’s working properly for the hot months to come.
- Repair or replace damaged window screens. This will help protect your home from outside bugs and critters.
- Clean road salt from entrances. This is important to avoid damaging concrete, asphalt, and wood.
Bedroom and Living Areas
- Clean the fireplace. This helps prevent soot accumulation, which could fuel a chimney fire.
- Cover electrical outlets. Also ensure they’re not overloaded to prevent an electrical shortage or power outage.
- Clean carpets. This will remove stains and prevent unhealthy accumulation of soil and dirt.
- Dust baseboards. This prevents dust buildup and makes your home look fresh and clean.
- Touch up baseboards. Clean and touch up baseboards and doors with paint to prevent chipping and preserve the wood’s integrity.
- Check caulking. Fix caulking on weather stripping and windows to prevent drafts or water from getting in your home.
- Clean shelves. Reduce dust and dirt accumulation on bookshelves and cabinets.
- Vacuum. Make sure to get underneath large furniture pieces to reduce dust mites.
- Clean fan blades. Wipe down fan blades and lightbulbs to avoid the buildup of dust mites.
Bathroom
- Clean showerheads. Remove showerheads and clean off sediment and mineral deposits so water flows freely.
Basement
- Install a water alarm. Place a water alarm in your basement to prevent flooding.
- Change furnace filters. This will keep airflow unobstructed. If the furnace is clogged, it has to work harder, which will cause it to wear out faster.
- Flush hot water heater. Remove sediment so your water heater keeps performing at its best. Sediment buildup makes it harder for the heater to heat the same amount of water.
- Vacuum your HVAC system. This will ensure it operates efficiently.
- Clean the washing machine and dryer. This helps remove odors and keeps the machines running smoothly.
- Purge junk from your laundry room. By doing this, you can prevent dust and lint from taking over the space.
Kitchen
- Check your fire extinguisher. Verify that the lock pin is intact and press the test indicator to ensure the pressure reading is within range.
- Clean your garbage disposal. This prevents smells and bacteria.
- Clean out the pantry. This stops bugs and other pests from coming into your house.
And have a safe and wonderful Spring!