Have you been letting your home sit idle for too long without getting any work done? Unfortunately, that’s a common occurrence. People neglect everyday maintenance tasks and end up with massive projects in the future.
The problem is that renovation projects can cost at least $5,000. You can get a better value for your money by maintaining what you have.
That’s why home maintenance is critical if you want to avoid potential problems in the future. Below are seven tips for maintaining your home in the summer.
1. Examine Your Home’s Exterior
Winter months aren’t always mild. There’s the chance of storms and water damaging your home’s siding. If you don’t stay on top of these things, it can result in more costly damage in the future.
This is especially important if you have wood siding on your home. Wood can rot and mold, leading to the rest of your home experiencing the same problems.
Shiplap siding can also come loose in some conditions. Check around your home to see if you have any loose material that needs to be repaired.
2. Check Your Seals
Your doors and windows do a great job sealing your home to protect it from the elements, but they won’t work great forever. The frame around your doors and windows will break down as time goes on. On top of that, your doors and windows themselves will degrade.
That makes it harder to keep the climate in your home stable. You’ll end up with higher energy bills in the winter and summer.
Inspect the areas around your doors and windows for any issues. You can also check the seals around your door and window hardware to see if they’re doing an excellent job sealing your home. Check to see if there are any breezes that can indicate a poor seal.
3. Clean Your Gutters
You can’t afford to leave standing water on your roof. It adds strain that can contribute to sagging. On top of that, standing water will promote mold and algae growth that can further spread into your home.
Your gutters are what help keep your roof clear of the water. They provide a way to capture water from your roof and send it into your yard or street.
Try to clean your gutters at least once per year. As time passes, leaves and other debris will get caught in your gutters. If there’s too much debris, your gutters can’t move water off your roof, leading to ponding.
4. Maintain Your HVAC Unit
It’s crucial to perform proper maintenance on your HVAC unit. If you leave it going for too long, you’ll have worse issues that make it harder for your unit to function. Here are a few home maintenance tips for your HVAC.
Replace Your Filter
Your filter helps your HVAC unit filter dirt and debris from your air. Air flows through your filter before getting pumped into your home. If your filter is dirty, air can’t travel through well, making your unit work harder.
Flush Your Condensation Line
Your HVAC unit doesn’t work without byproducts in the summer. Condensate will form when it gets more humid in the summer. The condensate byproduct goes into your drain pan and down your condensation line.
Your line will clog with algae if you don’t properly clean it. Use a cleaning agent to clear any byproduct there.
Get a Tune-Up
Many HVAC maintenance tasks are hard for homeowners. In cases like this, it makes sense to turn to a professional like Arundel Cooling. An HVAC pro will tune-up your unit to keep it working well.
5. Reseal Your Driveway
Do you have cracks in your driveway with vegetation creeping up? If so, it’s because your asphalt is degrading and cracking. Unfortunately, this comes with the territory when you have a driveway.
You need to maintain your driveway to stop this from happening. To do this, you’ll need to reseal your driveway.
Resealing your driveway will help remove the cracks and improve your driveway’s health. That means your driveway will last longer and won’t need to be replaced down the line.
6. Check for Damaged Deck Materials
Your deck won’t last forever. It’s made of wood, which will degrade over time when exposed to the elements. It can end up cracking, splintering, and rotting in the future.
A damaged deck is dangerous to stand on. You may get injured if you don’t take care of things.
Inspect your deck for damages every year. Many minor issues are easy to fix on your own. It pays to talk to a pro if you need to replace boards or other advanced tasks.
7. Wash Your Windows
Almost everyone loves a great view. But it’s hard to get that view when your windows are filthy, and you can’t see through them. Unfortunately, grime can accumulate on your windows and make that a reality.
Summer is the perfect time to give your windows a good cleaning. Start with your interior window panes and cover every window in your house.
You can move to your exterior windows after that. If you have second-story windows, you’ll need a tool that will help you reach high with window cleaning tools or get a tall enough ladder to help.
Don’t Wait to Perform Home Maintenance in the Summer
It’s too cold to handle a lot of home maintenance in the winter, so people tend to put off tasks until later in the year. Luckily, summer is a great time to take care of your home maintenance checklist to keep your home in working order.
Make sure you keep the things above in mind when creating a home maintenance plan. Doing so will help keep your home from breaking down and causing more expensive repairs.
Check out the blog for more tips that will help you care for your home.
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