Your home is one of the most significant investments you’ll ever make. It offers you a place to live, relax and create memories. Maintaining your home requires regular care to avoid issues and keep it running optimally. Furthermore, regular upkeep may even increase its resale value. Let’s look at some of the best tips for home maintenance.
Home Maintenance Tips to Help You Keep Your Home in Great Shape
1. Clean Your Gutters
Gutters are an essential element of your home’s structure. Without them, rainwater can accumulate on your roof and cause extensive damage.
No matter if you opt to do the cleaning yourself or hire a professional, this home maintenance task should not be neglected.
Clogged gutters provide an inviting home to pests and rodents. Furthermore, they can lead to rot in your home’s foundation that could ultimately destroy it.
Regularly cleaning your gutters and downspouts can extend their life expectancy and save you from costly repairs. Furthermore, keeping them in optimal condition ensures that water is efficiently draining away from your property without damaging it.
2. Clean Your Windows
As a homeowner, it’s essential to maintain your windows in good condition so you can enjoy an expansive view of the outdoors. Water spots, streaks, and stains on windows can make them appear unattractive; however, cleaning them helps clear away this obstruction while also improving the aesthetic appeal of your home.
Cleaning windows not only improves the air quality of your home, but it can also improve it significantly. Dander, dust, pollen, and other allergens that accumulate can cause breathing issues such as a runny nose, coughing fit, itchy eyes, and sneezing.
3. Clean Your Roof
No matter if your roof is constructed of asphalt shingles or flat rubber, regular cleaning is necessary to keep its aesthetic. Furthermore, regular maintenance helps guarantee their quality and lifespan.
Fortunately, this task is not as complex as it seems and can easily be completed by professionals or homeowners if they know the correct steps to take.
Before you begin, ensure your roof is free from debris and overhanging trees as this can block sunlight. After that, use a leaf blower to clear away any leaves or twigs from your rooftop.
4. Inspect Your Foundation
Inspection of your foundation is a critical component of home maintenance, helping prevent more serious issues down the line.
Foundation damage can cause your house to sink, crack or collapse entirely; thus it is advised that a foundation inspection be conducted at least annually.
Be wary of walls that bulge or lean. They could be an indicator that your foundation has shifted and put pressure on them, signaling shifts in shiftiness in the earth underneath your home.
Notice large zig-zag cracks running along the interior walls as an early indicator of foundation issues. Also, look out for floors or door frames with warped or slanted surfaces; this should serve as a warning sign.
3. Check Your Sump Pump
Maintaining regular sump pump maintenance will keep your home free from flooding, saving time and money in repairs if it breaks down during a storm. Preventative measures can save headaches in the future as well as costly repair bills in case your sump pumps break down unexpectedly.
Start by making sure your pump is positioned appropriately on a level surface so that water flows efficiently into it and doesn’t force itself out as quickly. This way, less work needs to be put in by your pump when trying to extract it!
As part of a proper maintenance routine, make sure the float sensor can move freely and switch on when required.
Make sure that the discharge pipe outside your house is directing water far enough away, otherwise too much could seep back in and cause your pump to continue operating incessantly.