If you are a proud homeowner, then you know the pride you feel when someone compliments your abode. At the same time, you would also know how tough it is to keep everything in perfect shape. Not a single day goes by when some item somewhere, somehow is broken, or is too dirty, or is some kind of wrong. So, here is an extensive list of things to look out for to gain the title of the “Perfect Homeowner”
1. Inspect Attic For Leaks During Heavy Rain
John Bodrozic, co-founder of HomeZada, advises homeowners to go into their attics during a rain storm to look for leaks. If you don’t fix a roof leak right away, it can damage your insulation and allow mold to grow, which is bad for your health.
2. Inspect Automatic Garage Door Safety Shut Off
Bodrozic says that you should make sure that your automatic garage door’s safety features are still working well. It is particularly important to check the safety beams that should stop the door from closing if they sense something in its way.
3. Check HVAC Filters
According to Bodrozic, homeowners should change their air filters four times a year, but it’s better to check them once a month. The healthy air in your home and the smooth running of your system are both improved by keeping the filters clear of dust and other particles.
4. Lubricate Garage Doors
A typical garage’s doors are probably made up of a bunch of panels that are hinged together and have metal or plastic rollers on each side, says Bodrozic. So, according to him, depending on whether your garage door has metal or plastic rollers, use the right lubricant to keep it running smoothly. It will also help make it last longer.
5. Clean Snow from All Outside Vents, Meters, and Oil Fill Pipe
If snow gets in the way of outside pipes, carbon monoxide can build up and be very dangerous, according to Family Handyman. Every month, but especially after a snowstorm, check the vents on your dryer, stove, and water heater. Also, make sure that you can get to your gas and electric meters and that your oil or propane company has a way to deliver fuel in the snow. It should preferably be a road that has been cleared.
6. Trim Shrubs Around Your AC Unit
Bodrozic says that bushes and shrubs often grow around your air conditioner and can block the flow of air. This makes the unit work harder and could damage it, so it is important to cut back shrubs and clean up the area around it.
7. Clean Your Refrigerator Grille
Bodrozic says that a fridge usually has a grille on the top or bottom that you can take off to get to the compressor and cooling coils. As such, this gathers dust over time and blocks airflow. This can damage the fridge’s cooling system.
8. Inspect Sinks and Tub Drains
“If your sinks or tubs aren’t draining as quickly, there may be a buildup that’s blocking the drain,” says Kyle Gesuelli, a home improvement expert at handy.com. So he advice homeowners to use a pipe cleaner to pull any debris out of the plughole and out of the pipe that is blocking it. Next, they can put a cup of baking soda and then hot water down the drain. This should clear things up.
9. Clean the Garbage Disposal
Gesuelii says that baking soda and white vinegar are the best ways to clean out your garbage sink. “Put a cup of white wine vinegar and half a cup of baking soda down the sink.” After a while, pour some very hot water down as well. Next, put some ice cubes in the drain and add a cup of salt. The salt will help get rid of any gunk. Last, put lemon halves in the garbage disposal. Then, keep the water running and the trash disposal on. This will ensure a very clean garbage disposal chute for any homeowner.
10. Organize Your Refrigerator
Food always seems to pile up in the fridge, whether you live alone in a flat or with five other people, says Christina Giaquinto, owner of Christina Giaquinto Organising LLC. So she has a simple task for any such homeowner. At the start of every month, go through all the containers and food that go bad and decide what you can eat and what you should throw away. If you really want to get rid of all the stuff, she suggests that you wipe down the shelves and clean them well after you’re done.
11. Clean Filters in Your Range Hood
Gesuelli says, “The range hood filter’s job is to collect grease. As the grease builds up over time, it will lose its ability to do its job.” “Just take them off and put them in a sink full of hot water, dish soap, and baking soda to clean them.” Soak for ten to fifteen minutes. If you need to, use a brush to get off any extra grease, and then rinse well. Use a paper towel to dry the filters before putting them back in.
12. Make Your Furnace Last
The best thing you can do to keep your heater in great shape is to change the filter on a regular basis. Here’s a way to remember to do that thing: Get a few filters and put labels on them. For some setups, changing the filter once a month is best. Some people can change their minds every few months.
13. Keep a Monthly Home Maintenance Calendar
Avoiding early replacements and keeping the home healthy and safe for the family by doing all the preventative maintenance chores every month of the year is important for every homeowner. So, here is a reminder to keep a calendar marked out with everything that needs to be done in the month. You can also use apps for it.
14. Shut off Water Before Going on Vacation
This is one of a hundred stories that every insurance agent has heard: The homeowners left town on Friday and came back Sunday evening to find water damage worth thousands of dollars. These stories teach us an easy lesson: turn off the main water valve before you leave for vacation. You can stop the most common cause of damage to your home in less than a minute.
Read More: Surprising Reason Why You Should Spread Salt Around Your House: 12 Healthy Uses for Salt
15. Deal with Drainage
In any home, water can cause problems. Knowing how to fix plumbing problems can save you a lot of money in the long run. It’s easy to fix by making the downspouts longer, but learning how to make a drainage plan will give you long-lasting benefits with little work.
16. Make a Homeowner’s Journal
If you have insurance papers, repair receipts, and other papers that have to do with the house, put them all in a ringbook. Putting all the information about your house in one easy-to-find spot can make your life easier and can also help you sell it later, says Debora Emmert on Family Handyman.
17. Adjust your Water Heater
Have you ever gone on vacation without setting your water heater? If not, you’ve already lost money on this simple homeowner’s skill. It shouldn’t be hard to find the big number, which is usually at the base of your water heater. However, it might be hard to find the right temperature. Turn down the water temperature before you leave for vacation so you don’t have to keep the whole tank at the same temperature. When you get home, don’t forget to turn it back up!
18. Stir-Stick Paint Organizer
The paint clerk puts the mix sticker on top of the can when you buy custom-mixed paint. But, you can always ask for an extra sticker to put around a stir stick. After finishing the project, you can let the stir stick dry and drill a hole near the top of it. Following that, you can write the room’s name on both the paint stick and the paint can. After that, you can hang the stir sticks next to the paint cans that are still there. Now, you don’t have to pull out every can to find the right one for touch-ups when you can see both the color match and a dried paint sample.
19. Understand Electricals
It’s easy to cause an electrical overload, which can be very dangerous for your house and everyone who lives there. If you really understand how the electrical circuits in your house function, you will not only be a great homeowner, but you will also be able to make as many do-it-yourself changes as you want without damaging the system.
20. Test the Sump Pump
You might forget about your sump pump, but it’s important to make sure it’s ready to go. You might end up like the homeowner who came home from a weekend trip to find his whole basement floor covered in 1/2 inch of water. He went to the sump pump and saw that it wasn’t working after turning off the power. He looked more closely and saw that the cable that was connected to the float must have become tangled. The homeowner spent the next 15 hours pulling out the wet carpet, running the wet/dry vacuum, and moving fans around. It only took him two seconds to untangle the wire. Make sure your pump has a vertical float switch to avoid the same problem. Also, empty the bowl of water into the pump at least twice a year to make sure everything is working right.
21. Clean Dryer Vents
Unfortunately, a clogged dryer vent will make your dryer work less efficiently, which is not good. A dryer vent that is clogged could also start a house fire, which could be very dangerous. Houses with dryers in the middle are most likely to get clogged because the lines are longer there. If your vent is clogged, you will notice stronger smells and longer drying times. To clean it, you’ll need to take the vent off the back of the dryer. Grab dirt and dust from the ducts with a wet/dry vacuum or clean them out with a kit. You can get the kits at home improvement stores. If you need new pipes, get smooth metal ones instead of flexible ones with a rough corrugated surface. The smooth metal ones will stay cleaner longer.
22. Under-Sink Archives
Don’t throw away the instructions and extra parts that came with your bathroom and kitchen taps. Instead, hang zip-top bags on hooks on the back walls of closets right where you’ll need them.
23. Stop Under-the-Door Air Leaks
It’s very expensive if you can feel the breeze and see the light under your front door. You may also need to change the door level or put in a new door sweep. Here is how you can do it yourself as a homeowner. To begin, change the barrier. Newer ones have screws that let you move them up and down. As you turn all of the threshold screws, the door should be able to open and close easily and without any drafts. If that doesn’t work or your threshold doesn’t have screws for adjusting it, you’ll need to get a new door sweep. To take the door off, close it and use a pin punch to pop out the hinge pins. Place the door on a flat surface and take off the old door sweep. Seal the door’s ends with caulk, then put in the new sweep.
24. Seal Outlets and Ceiling Boxes
Vents on outside walls and ceiling boxes have tiny holes that let cold air in (and warm air out). It only takes half a day to seal these spots, which will help make your home warmer and cut down on leaks.
25. Guard Your Chimney
Put a chimney cap and screen on top of it to keep birds and mice out. Not only can they ruin your home, but they often bring in smaller bugs that will live there.
26. Keep Your Wood Dry
Insects and other small pests need water to live, so they stay away from dry areas and go to wet ones. Bugs, spiders, and centipedes will be less likely to come near your house if the ground around the base and walls is dry. Move mulch and dirt that soaks up water away from the window frames and low wood. To keep things from getting too wet, turn your mulch every so often and keep your bushes cut back.
27. Check Seasonal Clothing
Do you have seasonal bedding or clothes that you need to get out of storage? Thoroughly wash and dry everything to kill any bug eggs that might be hiding. Also, look over everything for signs of an invasion before you put it away or start wearing it.
28. Trim Plants Against Your House
Take steps as a homeowner to make sure the ants don’t come back after you kill them in your yard and house. Cut back trees, plants, and bushes that touch your siding or roof and give ants a way to get to your home. To keep ants from building nests in the siding, leave 3 to 6 inches of space between the dirt around the foundation and the bottom row of the siding. Also, make sure the soil slopes away from the house. Do not stack logs next to the house. Firewood is a great place for ants to hide. Ants like yards with empty spots and those that they can build nests under. One way to keep ants away is to keep your lawn healthy. If anthills appear in empty spots, put insecticide on the mound and plant grass where there is none. Isolate thatch by raking the yard or collecting the grass in a bag after mowing.
29. Don’t Let Pests Enter Dryer Vents
Check the dryer vents to make sure the damper isn’t stuck open or missing. Make sure there is a tight seal between the vent and the wall as well. Also, it might be a good time to clean the cover over the dryer vent so that cold air doesn’t come in during the winter.
Read More: Surprising Reason Why You Should Spread Salt Around Your House: 12 Healthy Uses for Salt
30. Repair Torn Screens
Windows screens, mosquito nets, and other similar barriers can keep summer pests out, but only if they completely keep them out. It’s also easy and quick to fix things as long as the frame is in good shape.
31. Check Your Crawl Spaces
Enter your crawlspaces and/or basement with a torch and safety gear and look around. Look for big, clear piles of torn paper, which are signs of rodents. Also, keep an eye out for smaller signs, like ant lines or bugs running around looking for a place to live. You should also get rid of these pests and figure out how they got in so they don’t come back.
32. Store Firewood At Some Distance From The House
This summer, firewood may be an important thing to have for your garden fire pit, but it also attracts bugs that will happily come inside. Keep the wood away from the house by at least 20 feet.
33. Protect the A/C Compressor
Don’t wrap your whole air conditioner up for the winter. In fact, many makers say not to because it can attract rodents and cause condensation, which can cause corrosion to start early. It might be a good idea to put a piece of board on top of the unit to keep it safe from rocks and icicles.
34. Seal Gaps
Watch out for small, unlocked holes where pipes and electrical lines enter your home as well as bigger holes in your attic or shed. These little holes are great for bugs, mice, and other pests. To keep pests out, caulk them shut or use expanding foam padding.
35. Clean Weep Holes
Weep holes are one of the smallest parts of many folding windows and vinyl replacement windows, but they’re very important. The small holes on the outside bottom of the frame let rainwater drain away from the house, but they often get plugged with dirt and other things. Spray the outside of the window with an outdoor hose to make sure they’re working right. A steady stream of clean water should come out of the holes. If it doesn’t, you can push the blockage out with a wire hanger or even air. Test them again with clean water to make sure they’re completely clean.
36. Ensure Your Gutters Are In Top Shape
As the seasons change, make sure your house is ready for the rain and snow that will come. Check around your house for loose gutters, broken pieces, and pipes that have come off. If you find any, fix them. Make sure that there are no leaves or other things blocking your gutters and that the downspouts are directing water away from your base.
37. Reseed Late in the Growing Season
Re-seed your yard in late summer or early autumn for a healthy lawn in the spring and summer. The best time to plant seeds is in late summer or early fall when it is cooler and wetter. This is true whether you are planting seeds in a small area or the whole yard. During the dog days of summer, it’s just too hot and dry for seed to live.
38. Check Exterior Caulking and Weatherstripping
Get your weatherstripping and caulk checked out in the autumn. To make sure the glue is in good shape, check around windows, doors, and any other place where the two forms meet. If you find broken or missing weatherstripping around doors, it’s very easy to repair it.
39. Fix the Driveway and Sidewalks
A small concrete problem can become a big one when the weather and the amount of water in the ground change. Fix any broken concrete as soon as possible and you can use your path, driveway, and steps for a little while longer before they need to be completely replaced.
40. Give Your Roof a Once-Over
In the middle of winter, no one wants to fix their roof. Check it over to make sure there aren’t any signs of trouble. Look for broken or missing shingles, flashing that isn’t there, and any changes in colour.
41. Install Frost-Proof Outdoor Faucets
The new outdoor faucets can handle frost and keep dirty water from getting into your water system. It only takes a few hours to put in a new outdoor faucet that will keep you safe all winter.
42. Check Your Chimney
Building up of creosote leads to chimney fires. After every 70 fires, you should have a professional check out and clean your chimney. Have the wood checked or cleaned every 50 fires if you burn wet wood, which you shouldn’t do. Can’t remember the last time a professional cleaned it? If you want to know right away if your chimney needs cleaning, run the point of your fireplace poker along the inside of the liner. If you find more than 1/8-inch of growth, you should call a chimney sweep.
43. Check Your Furnace
Before you use your furnace, make sure it’s in good shape. You can check your furnace yourself to avoid problems before they happen if you have the right tools and some time.
44. Fertilize Your Lawn
Putting fertilizer in your yard in the autumn is a good idea. If you only do it once a year, autumn is particularly good. Over the summer, your garden grew, and now it’s hungry.
45. Inspect and Fix Your Garage Door
The cold can damage garage door tracks. Maintaining a functional garage door is important to avoid getting stuck inside or, even worse, outside.
Read More: Here’s Why You Should Crack a Window in Your House Year-Round
46. Bleed Hot Water Radiators
There may be “fins” that stay cold when trapped air blocks a hot water radiator. Find a small valve, like the one shown, on top of the radiator. To open the valve slowly, turn it anticlockwise with a radiator key, a 1/4-in. 12-point socket, or a flat screwdriver, based on the type of valve. Do this until water starts to drip out. This lets the air out that was stuck and lets hot water into the fins that are cold. You might as well do it again on all of your radiators while you’re at it. Get a dish or cup ready to catch the water.
47. Insulate Pipes
During the winter, pipes that run through unheated crawlspaces, basements, and outer walls can freeze, which can lead to bigger problems. Don’t let it happen to you.
48. Clean Dryers and Vents
Lint starts thousands of dryer fires every year, but they are easy to avoid by cleaning for just a few minutes. Now that the air is drying out and it’s getting cooler, clean out your dryer and vent every fall.
49. Test For Radon
Now is the time to check your home for radon if you haven’t already. When you seal up your house for the winter, you also trap radon gas, which can cause cancer. Get your house checked out, and if there are problems, find ways to fix them.
50. Check Your Detectors
Check your smoke and CO alarms in the fall, while your furnaces are on, windows are closed, and portable heaters are running. Smoke alarms usually work for 10 years, and CO detectors work for about six years. Check the batteries and expiration dates.
51. Check Handrail Safety
Check and fix any loose handrails as you walk around your property. Take into account that someone might grab a handrail when they slip on snow or ice, and make sure it can handle the weight.
52. Check Garage Door Balance
If the door is balanced right, it won’t hit anyone or anything and the door opener won’t have to work too hard, which will lengthen its life. To check the balance, first close the door and pull the opener release handle to disengage the opener. Pull the door up about halfway by hand and then let go. If the door is adjusted right, it will stay in the middle position on its own. There needs to be more tension if it falls. If the door rises, the door spring is under too much tension, making it work harder than it needs to. Every once in a while, check the door. It’s hard and dangerous to change the spring tension. To get the job done, call a skilled garage door service or check out advanced garage door repairs.
53. Preserve Lawn Supplies
Products for lawns, like seeds and fertilizer, soak up water in damp sheds. Put them in big zip-top bags (you can find them at cheap stores) to keep them fresh.
54. Garage Foul Line
These simple steps will keep bikes, tricycles, yard tools, and car bumpers from getting hit by a garage door that is closing, or avoid setting off the electric eye. Put the garage door shut and press down a 2-inch-wide strip of masking tape along the inside edge. Add another strip of tape that is 1 1/2 inches wide to the outside of the first one. Spray the line, take off the tape, and let it dry. Now, before you close the door, check the line to make sure it seals on the pavement and not on a tool or your cat’s tail.
55. Reset Dampers
During different seasons, you may need to adjust the dampers in your furnace’s heating and cooling ducts. It’s important to mark the seasonal settings. In two-story homes, the supply trunks for the upstairs and downstairs are usually different. For winter, change the damper handle on each supply trunk to send more warm air downstairs. For summer, change it to send more cold air upstairs.
56. Check the Intake and Exhaust Pipes
In newer, more energy-efficient furnaces, if something blocks either the intake or exhaust pipe, like a bird or ice, the heater will turn off. To see, you’ll have to go outside and look inside the pipes. Animals can get stuck in the pipe all the way back to the furnace, and you won’t be able to see it unless you take the pipe apart, which is something a professional should do.
57. Seal Leaky Ducts
You can fix leaky ducts, especially return air ducts, with high-temperature silicone or special metal tape that you can get at home centers. Then do a back-drafting test to be sure that the combustion gases are going up the flue. Turn on the burners after by adjusting the thermostat.
58. Test Water Heater For Backdrafting
It is best to check your gas water heater for back-drafting when your furnace is turned off. Turn on the water heater burner by slowly turning up the water heater thermostat. Hold an incense stick or match up to the smoke stack, after at least one minute of the heater running. It is important to pull the smoke into the stack. Close all the outside doors and windows and run the fans in the bathroom and kitchen while you do the test. If the vent doesn’t draw air, you should call a plumber or heating expert to figure out what’s wrong. Turn down the thermostat afterward again.
59. Clean the Gutters
There’s a reason why cleaning and maintaining gutters is on almost every homeowner’s list of things to do. It’s possible for snow and ice to damage your house by blocking your gutters with debris. This can lead to roof leaks and even problems with the foundation. More leaves may have gotten stuck in your drains after you cleaned them out in the autumn, so you’ll need to do it again.
60. Check for Ice Dams
Ice dams can happen in your home if it doesn’t have good insulation and plenty of airflow. Get outside often during the winter and look around your house for icicles and big chunks of ice close to the roof’s edge. As the roof’s ice melts, water pools behind it and then seeps back up under the shingles. Water can also get back up 5 or 10 feet under the shingles sometimes. Finally, it seeps through the roof and onto the walls, soffits (the outside overhangs), and worst of all, your ceilings.
61. Check for High Water Pressure
When water pressure is too high, it can damage equipment, pipes, and connections. It also wastes a huge amount of water and causes water hammer. People often forget to do an easy upkeep task that’s worth doing: checking for high water pressure. At home centers, you can buy a new valve that lowers the pressure as well as a simple pressure gauge like this one that you can connect to a tap or laundry tub faucet.
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