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Now that we’re into July, there are several home maintenance tasks you need to remember to do.
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Here are seven home maintenance tips that will keep your house running smoothly and efficiently this July:
1. Clean out your gutters. Additionally, make sure your downspout extensions are leading water away from your foundation.
2. Make sure you don’t have any tree branches touching your roof. If branches are touching your roof, this can not only shorten its lifespan, but it will also allow critters access to it. Once they’re on the roof, they might find a way into your attic.
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If you haven’t had your AC system checked by a professional (which you should do annually), make sure you schedule that appointment.
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3. Clean your refrigerator coils. With summer in full force, it’s a good time to vacuum these coils so that your refrigerator doesn’t work harder than it needs to and shorten its lifespan. I have a good friend, in fact, who was recently having trouble with his refrigerator because—as he eventually found out—all of its coils were covered in 12 years’ worth of dust. Once he cleaned them off, though, everything started working normally again.
4. Clean your furnace filter. Also, if you haven’t had your AC system checked by a professional (which you should do annually), make sure you schedule that appointment. Now’s a great time to do this because you may be able to get your furnace checked at the same time at a discount.
5. Check your fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. It’s good to have a fire extinguisher that’s properly charged nearby if something goes wrong and you probably haven’t checked them in awhile. Along with this, you should check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace any batteries if needed.
6. Clean your range hood filter. As with the refrigerator, if you clean your range hood filter, your oven fan won’t have to work harder than it needs to.
7. Make sure your ceiling fans are spinning the right way. They should be spinning in the opposite direction that you had them spinning during the colder months so that they’re pressing cold air down to be recirculated.
8. Cold Air returns. If you have a system with the stacked (high/low) cold air returns, most HVAC professionals say that you want the top ones open in the cooling season (pulling in hot air) and the lower ones open in the winter.
As always, if you have any questions about this or any other real estate-related topic, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.
