Just like people’s health, where it’s important to have a regular check-up taken, maintaining a house also requires the same schedule and attention in order to make sure that the house is well-kept. Many homeowners have the tendency to overlook maintenance due to the demands of work and other responsibilities needed to fulfill.
However, it’s important to create a schedule to look after your house every once in a while in order to spot possible damages and prevent them from turning into something beyond repair. Here is a checklist to act as your simple guide:
Keep Dust Control
Dust particles are not only hurtful to the eyes, but it also poses a serious threat to your health and all the inhabitants of your home. Dust could be a mixture of a lot of things, and it’s an even bigger issue if someone in the family has serious allergies or asthma so it’s important to always make sure the house is well-kept and free of those particles. One way to do that is to check on your home’s furnace filters and clean them in the process. The filter could be collecting dust and dirt more than you’d expect so it’s important to check on them regularly before they get clogged and affect the air quality inside your home and damage your home’s HVAC system.
Clean and Check on Your Roof
Roofs are often taken for granted, and it only gets attention once something gets broken – for instance, when a leak starts to show inside of the house, or when a lone frisbee or ball lands on the roof. But it’s important to still keep a close eye on the roof – after all, despite it being noticed less than – say the front lawn – it still serves as one of the foundations of your home to keep you safe, dry, and warm. There might be broken shingles from the roof that could tend to go unnoticed until too late or a clog in the gutter that could worsen when not properly cleaned or looked after.
Part of the reason why most homeowners tend to overlook the roof is how difficult and strenuous it is to get there just by yourself. The hassle of doing the work seems discouraging to keep it properly maintained. However, there’s always the option of having it properly maintained by seeking help from the right people, such as gutter cleaning service providers.
Observe Changes in Window Screens and Walls (And Clean Them!)
Windows and walls should always be regularly contained, since not only are they one of the most visible areas of the house, they could also be sources of health issues that could affect the members living inside. For instance, changes in walls are often linked to possible signs of pest infestations, especially when the walls are painted a bright color. Check if there has been discoloration caused by pest droppings on the wall, or if there are any half-chewed pieces of the windows if they’re wooden. This might be the opposite of the roof since it’s so visible to the eyes, homeowners would have the tendency to slip in that comfort that it would stay the same – until it’s too late notice.
Test Your Home’s Security Detail (And Upgrade if Needed)
Homes that are equipped with smoke alarms, burglar alarms, or any security system is at least also expected to check on them as part of your maintenance. Security systems being more and more technologically-advanced, it’s only fitting for homeowners that theirs are upgraded or at the very least, decently working. Some homeowners make the mistake of taking the security system for granted since it captures some mundane activities and it gets outdated and sometimes broken when not checked upon. If your house has safety equipment around, like fire extinguishers, make sure that you also check on them on a schedule since fire extinguishers do have expiration dates.
Observe Temperature and Moisture
This is another case of potential health threats when not checked upon properly since moisture attracts pests that could scatter around your house and cause some serious havoc. Make sure that your kitchen sinks are properly working, clean the clogs if there’s any, and fix pipes that leak for better prevention. Installing exhaust fans – if you haven’t already – on particularly humid areas of the house like the kitchen or the bathroom will also help keep moisture out and even out the temperature.
Maintaining a house may be a lot of work, but sticking to a routine would make all the efforts worth it the moment you see a small hole peeking through your roof on a regular Sunday morning.