Total Home Protection, a home warranty company led by CEO David Seruya, recommends that you practice a regular maintenance schedule throughout the year to protect yourself from the unexpected and extend the life of your home’s major systems and appliances!
Whether you’re living in a brand-new home with brand new appliances or an older home needing constant repairs, regular maintenance is mandatory. It is an undoubtedly intimidating prospect, especially when you see the list of things that are required from you, but it truly is one of the best ways to keep your home safe and working as it should.
Learn more about the importance of home maintenance and what Total Home Protection recommends that you do every year to safeguard your home.
Why is Home Maintenance so Important?
Homes are often the biggest investments that most regular people will make throughout their life. And home maintenance is the best way to protect that investment. But, how and why? Well:
- It is always more expensive to have an appliance or home system repaired than it is to take preventative measures (maintenance) to keep it from breaking.
- Home systems and appliances also work more efficiently and safely when they are properly maintained. For example, certain HVAC units lose about 5-15% of their working efficiency per year when not properly maintained.
- It can be very stressful and inconvenient to deal with home repairs. Keeping your home properly maintained will make repairs less necessary.
- For potential home sellers, keeping a home maintained is a must to keep the value of the home as high as possible.
And most important of all, it keeps you feeling secure. Just like how Total Home Protection protects its policyholders from unexpected repairs and replacements, regular home maintenance can provide a sense of security that will give you and your family some peace of mind while living in your home.
Home Maintenance Tips from Total Home Protection
To finish us off, we offer the following home maintenance tips, which are brought to you by Total Home Protection. Who offers this year-round home maintenance checklist for free.
WINTER MAINTENANCE
The first of our checklists is for Winter, which will require you to spend just a little bit of time outside in the cold to make sure everything is winterized and ready for the frost:
- Have a professional inspect your furnace or heating systems to ensure that everything is working efficiently during the cold winter months
- Clean the gutters, downspouts, and storm drains to keep pipes from freezing
- Insulate your doors and windows to protect your home from the cold
- Store or cover your patio furniture to protect it from the snow
- Inspect outdoor steps and handrails to make sure that they are protected against the ice and snow
Depending on where you live, other maintenance might be required: like having to shovel snow off your roof to keep it from caving in or covering up your AC unit to protect it while it is not in use.
SPRING MAINTENANCE
Outside of regular ‘spring cleaning,’ here is a list of things that you should do after the last day of frost has long passed and the flowers are beginning to bud:
- Have a professional inspect your AC unit and service it to make sure that the ducts and coils are cleaned and that the filters have been changed
- Replace the batteries of your smoke detectors
- Clean your kitchen exhaust hood and its filter
- Flush the sediment in your water heater and water storage tank
- Install surge protector on your appliances and electronic equipment
This is the time to also inspect any damages that might have occurred during the winter months. So, perform a quick inspection of your roof, your lawn sprinklers, your chimney, etc.
SUMMER MAINTENANCE
The Summer checklist has us mostly indoors as, fortunately, there is not much to do outside:
- Clean your clothes washer and dryer (clear lint and debris from the vent)
- Trim any of the shrubs or trees that are placed next to outdoor AC systems
- Reduce heat by changing out your regular light bulbs to LED lights
- Change out your air filters every month
- Clean the refrigerator and freezer coils, then empty and clean its drip trays
- Inspect your kitchen and dishwasher for any leaks.
FALL MAINTENANCE
Last but not the least, is Fall. This is when most people tackle a large majority of their home maintenance as it’s the perfect time of the year to work outdoors:
- Clean out your fireplace for any flammable debris and inspect it for damage
- Drain your lawn mower of gasoline before storing it
- Turn off your sprinklers and have them drained in preparation for winter
- Drain and then winterize all outdoor water supply pipes and spigots
- Clear out any debris from windows, gutters, downspouts, and drains
- Seal any cracks or gaps in windows and doors with caulk
And so, our checklist ends! Just remember, depending on what is covered by your home warranty and the climate you live in, certain tasks on this list may or may not be necessary.
