Your spring cleaning checklist has finally been completed thanks to the time you spent in coronavirus quarantine. But what about summer’s checklist?
With summer quickly approaching, now couldn’t be a better time to start readying your home for warmer weather. The question is, what projects should be high on your radar? And why?
Here’s a rundown on seven summer home maintenance must-dos this year.
Let’s get started!
1. Crawl Space
If your home features a crawl space, it’s critical that you don’t overlook this space, even if you may not necessarily spend much time there.
Here’s why.
Your crawl space plays a key role in maintaining the integrity of your home’s foundation. Plus, safety and health issues may arise if you fail to address a crawl space that has been damaged.
Signs that your need crawl space repair services include cold floors, drywall cracks, and sticking doors. You should also hire a crawl space repair company to fix your space if you notice any standing water, musty odors, or high moisture in the crawl space.
The crawl space repair process may involve the use of dehumidifiers, insulation, and a vapor barrier.
2. Air Conditioner
Another essential part of your home — especially during the hot summer months — is your air conditioner. So, be sure to add this to your summer home maintenance checklist.
For starters, be sure to change your system’s filter. A clogged filter will make your air conditioning system work harder and be more costly to run.
Also, make sure that the air conditioning unit kicks on. If it doesn’t, check your home’s fuses or circuit breakers. And if you’re still having an issue, contact a professional.
3. Outdoor Plumbing
Make sure that you also check your outdoor irrigation system and spigots.
To do this, remove your freeze caps, or insulators, from your outdoor faucets. Then, allow the faucets to flow.
If your water is trickling slowly, your pipes might have an issue. In this situation, you need to contact a plumber to properly address this problem.
4. Exterior and Roof
Be sure to also take a peek at your home’s exterior and roof before summer arrives. A brief glance at these areas may reveal problems that started during the winter season. Catching these issues early can prevent them from growing into bigger, more expensive problems.
For instance, look for any missing, cracked, or misaligned shingles. All of these problems can allow water to seep in, which may cause major damage to your roof and eventually other parts of your home.
In addition, check your flashing for rust. You should also take a peek at your chimney to see if any pieces of stone or brick have become loosened. This may be a sign of water issues.
5. Attic
Take this time to inspect your home’s attic as well. This is paramount because critters may have started to nest in this part of your home during the winter.
If you notice animal droppings in the attic, be sure to remove them while wearing a mask. This is important because droppings may cause diseases or respiratory issues. Then, seal any hole where the critters have been coming in.
Also, check for insulation wet spots, as this might indicate a leaking problem. Furthermore, check for obstructions in your air vents.
6. Screens and Windows
You should also take the time to clean your storm windows and screens. A squeegee and a solution used to clean windows are all you need to make your windows sparkle again.
Also, while you’re cleaning your windows, evaluate them to see how they fared during the winter. Is there any dry rot? Or, do you notice any damage water stemming from melting ice or snow?
Be sure to also check the seals around the windows. Then, re-caulk or replaced any weather stripping that has been damaged. This will help to keep hot air outside and cool air inside during the upcoming summer months.
7. Summer Tools
Finally, make sure that your lawn edgers and mowers are in tip-top shape. These tools will play a critical role in keeping your lawn looking neat during the summer months.
Be sure to clean your edgers and mowers. Also, change their gasoline if you never emptied it during the previous fall or winter season.
In addition, replace your spark plugs and oil. You should also get new air filters for the equipment.
Another important step in maintaining your lawn equipment is to lubricate any moving parts. Also, sharpen your lawn mower’s blade.
Finally, check the string of your edge trimmer to determine whether it needs to be replaced. Feel free to get in touch with a professional if you don’t feel comfortable with handling this task.
How We Can Help with Summer Home Maintenance and Other Projects
In addition to providing summer home maintenance tips, we offer a wide range of other tips related to maintaining and improving your home.
For instance, you can learn about the perfect kitchen designs for small homes. We also offer inspirational ideas for sprucing up your master bedroom.
Through our site, you can even learn how to incorporate the newest styles to make your home pop like never before. And if you’re considering upgrading your bathroom, we’ll tell you why you should or should not move forward with this popular home remodel. Take a peek at our site to learn more about how to add value to your home and thus enhance your quality of life in the months ahead.
