Summer Home Maintenance Checklist: Top Items to Watch
Summer is here, and we’ve spent extra time in these extra cold months. Chances are you’re looking forward to being outdoors, maybe firing up the grill, planting a garden, or spending some quality time in the pool. Before you get down to the business of enjoying the nice weather, though, there are a few things that need to be taken care of first. That’s right: It’s time to knock out some home maintenance tasks to make sure everything is ready for the changing weather.
Home maintenance is important throughout the year, but prepping for summer and winter, making sure that your home is ready for icy weather, rain, and heat is often neglected. If you aren’t sure where to start, here are some of the top items to check off on your summer home maintenance checklist.
Outdoor Maintenance
Cold winter months can really take their toll on the outside of your home. This is one of the reasons that spring maintenance is so important. By performing external maintenance early in the summer/spring, you can identify damage caused by ice and snow and repair it before it turns into leaks and other problems when the spring and summer rains start up. Here are a few key areas that you need to make sure that you check:
Inspect your roof, looking for cracked or missing shingles or other signs of damage or leaks
Check around the foundation for cracks or other wear
Look at the bricks and siding on your home to see if you need repairs or new paint
Clean the outdoor unit of your HVAC system and inspect it for obvious signs of damage
This is also a good time to check any external fixtures, outdoor electrical outlets, hose faucets, and other objects on or around the outside of your home for signs of damage.
Indoor Maintenance
A lot of people think that the main thing to do indoors is a bit of spring cleaning. While a good deep clean a few times a year is important for keeping your home livable, there are a few specific maintenance areas that you need to be sure to cover. Here are some of the key points to hit:
Clean the condenser coils on the back of the refrigerator and check the temperature in both the fridge and freezer
Inspect the ceilings and walls for discolorations or cracks that could indicate water damage
Test your HVAC system to ensure that it functions properly when switched from heating to cooling
Lubricate the hinges and tracks on doors, windows, and other areas that will see a lot of motion or traffic in coming months
While you’re already in maintenance mode, this could also be a good time to replace light bulbs (possibly with more energy-efficient bulbs or bulbs with smart connect features), test outlets, and perform other basic maintenance tasks around the house.
Other Maintenance Tasks
There are a number of other maintenance tasks that don’t really fall into these two categories. Little things like lubricating the moving parts in your garage doors, changing the oil in mowers and other outdoor equipment, sharpening tools, prepping garden spaces, and similar tasks will go a long way toward getting you ready for summer. It may also be a good time to do some deep sanitizing or moving around some outdoor fixtures to make it easy to have some friends over while giving everyone their space as well.
