ALLBIDS Blog

Home Maintenance Checklist: Things You Should Do Yearly

Thursday, 06 September 2018 | Mike Leano

Even after all the home maintenance tasks we've listed previously, there's still plenty to do year round. As the last in the series, we've compiled a checklist of chores you should do annually.

To make it easier for you to sort through the whole thing, we've divided the checklist by season.

Summer

Deal with any insect problems
Summer means spending time outside, so you'll have to deal with insects. Keep an eye out for ants, moths, spiders and other common bugs. When you encounter their lairs, clear them up carefully. Better yet, call a pest control company to do it for you.

Inspect the grout in your tiles
Grout is the mortar that fills the gaps between your tiles. Dirt and grime tend to build up there so you need to clean these spaces regularly. Otherwise, you'll have to re-grout, which is a bigger hassle.

Maintain your home's exterior
Because of the absence of rain during summer, it's usually the best time to perform upkeep on your home's exterior. This may include the following tasks:

• Giving your house a fresh coat of paint.
• Cleaning and repairing your porch, patio and/or deck.
• Cleaning your basement's window wells.
   

Clean your garage and basement
Speaking of basements, you need to clean yours - including your garage, especially since these two rooms usually get neglected. To maximise your efforts, make sure you declutter these spaces as well.

Mow your grass
Time for some garden work, which involves a bit of mowing. Tip: don't cut the grass too short; this will expose them to weeds.

Water your plants
People get thirsty more easily when it's hot. So do plants! So make the effort to water them regularly.

Clean your pool
You and your family will probably be using the pool more frequently during this time to do your best to keep it clean. This usually includes:

• Removing the leaves and dirt from the water's surface.
• Scrubbing the pool's floor and sides to prevent filth from accumulating there.
• Cleaning the filter basket weekly.
   

Prepare for the heat
Summer is also about high temperatures so you should prepare your home for it. To minimise the heat, you can:

• Drape windows that receive hot morning and afternoon sun.
• Install weather stripping on doors and windows.
• Put in adjustable awnings to keep the sun off windows.
   

Autumn

Clean your chimney
Some experts will say this task should be done in autumn, spring or summer (when they're normally not in use). If you didn't get it cleaned during those seasons, do it in this one. What's important is that you get it done before using it in the winter.

Prepare your home for winter
Don't wait for winter to prepare your home for the cold. The best time is usually autumn, which is right before.

To determine what you need to do, inspect your home for issues that may make it colder during winter (e.g. thinning insulation, drafts through doors/windows) then address each.

Rake fallen leaves
The season is also called "fall" for a reason: leaves fall off trees (after turning brown, yellow or red). So you'll have to gather the fallen leaves. But whatever you do, don't rake the leaves into the gutter or onto the road. Instead, place them in a compost bin.

You can also cover the pile, water the leaves every so often, wait for them to decompose (in about three months), and then use the stuff as mulch on your garden.

Close your pool
Unless dipping in the pool during colder days doesn't bother you, you probably won't be using it during the next several months. Time to close the pool down in preparation for winter.

Get your A/C or HVAC serviced
Do you have HVAC or central air conditioning? If so, you should get it serviced during this time. A clean system will be more efficient during the winter. In addition, servicing will inform you about any issues. For window units, make sure they're sealed to keep the heat inside the house from escaping.

Stock up on firewood
If you use a wood-burning heater in your home, you should gather firewood in preparation for winter. When you store the wood:

• Don't pack it too close together as mould may grow on it.
• Pile it up and place something underneath - like a tarpaulin - to keep the wood from touching the floor (in case the ground is damp).
• Keep only enough for a week. Storing more wood may attract insects.

Just beware of the possible health hazards when using wood-burning heaters.

Clear the gutter
Don't wait for winter to do this. When it's sunny, inspect your gutters, drains and downpipes. If they're clogged (which can happen when many leaves fall), clear them up. Rain tends to be heavier in winter. If your gutters are obstructed, the undrained water can damage your home.

Winter

Shut off the sprinkler
Water evaporation is typically much lower during winter so you should switch your sprinklers off and let the rain take care of your lawn and plants. Depending on where you live, there's actually a permanent sprinkler ban during winter that aims to save water for dry months.

Clean your computer
Like everything in your home, computers accumulate dust - inside/outside the casing, on the keyboard and mouse, and all over the monitor. Worse, if you don't clean your computer regularly, the filth will jam its fans and prevent the device from working properly (this really happens).

Trim your trees
Winter weather can be erratic in Oz. Strong winds, in particular, can blow through trees close to your home and damage your property. To avoid this, trim your trees and remove dead/diseased wood. Pay close attention to those hanging over your home.

But before you start cutting branches off, ask your local council if you need permission to do so.

Sort out your closet
You don't have to wait for spring to organise your closet; doing it in winter is fine. Why? Setting aside summer clothes lets you make room for winter outfits, which you'll use more often during the next few months.

Make your home safer from fires
Winter is the time when we use heaters, electric blankets and fireplaces more often. Because of this, the risk of fire increases as well. Here are a few ways you can mitigate this risk:

• Keep combustible materials (e.g. curtains, clothing) away from fireplaces and heaters.
• Prevent sparks that may start fires by installing a fire screen in front of your fireplace.
• Change the batteries of your smoke/carbon monoxide alarms once a year.
   

Add thicker layers to your bed
Keep yourself warm by changing your light manchester into something thicker (e.g. wool underlay and quilt). But take note: it isn't always freezing every night. Use such layers only when necessary.

Switch your ceiling fans to its winter setting
Your ceiling fans have a winter mode, which changes the direction of its spinning. Why? Because warm air goes up and cold air stays down. If you put the fan on reverse, it will pull the cool air upward, making the room more evenly heated.

Spring

Fix or replace broken window screens
Lots of bugs tend to show up during spring. To keep them out of your home, check how your window screens are doing. If there are holes, you need to get them fixed or replaced.

Get your roof inspected for damage
Call a professional for this one as it involves some degree of risk. Then get the damages fixed accordingly.

Spring-clean your yard
Now is a good time to clean your yard and remove the remnants of winter, which may include dead leaves and branches.

Turn the sprinklers back on
The sprinkler ban doesn't extend beyond winter so you should be able to switch on your sprinklers and use them for watering your lawn.

Do some gardening
If you have a lawn, you'll have to do some gardening to look after your greenery. Are there bare patches? Re-seed them before summer. If you mulch, now's the time to use the decomposing leaves you raked last autumn.

Hire an arborist
Do you have trees on your property? Consider hiring an arborist (i.e. a tree surgeon) to look for diseased trees and dead branches, which can be a safety hazard.

Scrub your home's exterior
Your home's exterior eventually gets dirty so schedule an extensive scrubbing to clean it up. When you do, don't forget to:

• Close all doors and windows.
• Ask your local council if there are restrictions in using a high-pressure water cleaner.
• Keep moving the hose back and forth. Don't stand too close to walls and/or focus on one spot for too long - this may damage the paint.
• Use borax to remove mould.

For best results, wait for a dry, warm day.

Clean and open your pool
Springtime means you can dip in the pool again without freezing. Don't forget to clean it beforehand. It may have accumulated some grime since its last use.

Look for leaks
Inspect your home for leaks - whether it's from your pipes, faucets, walls, ceiling or even drips in the toilet's tank. If you're comfortable enough to fix certain issues, go ahead. This will allow you to minimise costs should you ever need to call a plumber.

Inspect your sump pump
Spring may bring in more rain, so have a look at your sump pump to see if it is draining rainwater as it should. Inspect its inlet and outlet valves, and clean up any accumulated dirt which may affect its function.

More home maintenance options

ALLBIDS regularly runs online auctions for your home maintenance needs. We also provide layers of protection on every auction, so you can bid with confidence. Search for your much-needed maintenance tools today at ALLBIDS.

If you're looking to sell home-related supplies, you can also use ALLBIDS to turn items into cash. Ask us today to find out how.