If a pipe bursts in the kitchen, you’re immediately on the phone with a plumber in one hand and scooping water into buckets with the other. But dirty gutters? A leaky faucet? That deep one-liner in the driveway? It can unchangingly be put off until tomorrow; that is, if these issues navigate your radar at all.
Homeowners procrastinate making necessary repairs for 10 months on average, equal to a recent study by Consumer Affairs. The forfeit is the main reason for the wait, with the majority of homeowners saying they don’t have much savings set whispered for home maintenance. But neglecting home repairs can make it increasingly difficult when it comes time to sell.
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So, we’ve created this home maintenance schedule with a laser focus on the uneconomical issues that will haunt you lanugo the road if they fall into disrepair. To thoughtfully vet our top to-dos, we talked to real manor teachers who’ve washed-up hundreds of home repair negotiations and the executive director of the National Home Service Contract Association, which educates consumers and regulators on the repair and replacement of household appliances.
Get all the details you need for each maintenance task below. Then, with a simple click of a button, you can directly transfer the year-round home maintenance schedule to your own Google calendar, and alimony yourself accountable.
Maintenance priority: Prevent water damage
Excessive exposure to water makes your home vulnerable to problems like mold and pests, and will sooner spoil its overall structural integrity.
Maintenance tasks
1. Clear out the gutters (Frequency: at least twice a year)
Gutters alimony rain and water yonder from the side of your home, and without regular maintenance, stuffed gutters can’t do their job. Water will overflow and drown your foundation, and rationalization soil erosion virtually your home. In addition, when gutters get too heavy they can fall off your roof, rationalization leaks, and $2,000 on stereotype for gutter replacement.
Not sure how to tackle cleaning the gutters? Use this handy step-by-step tutorial from Bob Vila, an expert DIY home resurgence source.
2. Recaulk your washroom fixtures (Frequency: Once every 5 years)
One of the most affordable ways to alimony your washroom in top-notch condition? Recaulk your tub, showers, and washroom tiles to prevent mold and water damage.
Caulk acts as a sealant to prevent fixtures, such as your toilets, showers and tubs, from leaking. But overtime, caulk harbors bacteria, mildew, and odors, which permanently discolor the once-clean white borders.
Check your caulk’s condition at least once a year for any signs of visible leaks, discoloration, or forfeiture — but at the very least, tackle this job once every 5 years.
3. Trammels your major appliances for leaks (Frequency: at least once a year)
Your larger and often-used appliances like the refrigerator, washing machine, and dishwasher need a deep clean and inspection at least once a year. A yearly checkup helps you spot any leaks and schedule a tune-up with a professional if necessary.
The weightier way to tenancy mildew and mold is to rein in moisture and dampness. Regular upkeep can alimony the appliances running efficiently and plane proffer their lives.
If you find a small pool of water under your refrigerator, trammels the phlebotomize pan under the fridge. A one-liner in the phlebotomize pan, which captures the condensation from your fridge, might be the rationalization of leaks. You’ll need to contact your manufacturer or a technician to replace or repair that part of the fridge.
4. Test your sump pump (Frequency: at least once a year)
If you live in an zone that experiences heavy storms and rainfall, you should trammels on your sump pump at least once a year. Its sole purpose is to pump out glut water from your home in the specimen of heavy rainfall or storm.
Roto-Rooter, a top plumbing service in the US that has been operating since 1935, offers a quick sump pump inspection guide that any homeowner can consult.
“Test the sump pump to make sure that it works considering the home inspector is going to test this,” says Jennifer Hupke, a top-selling real manor wage-earner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You don’t want to find out that it’s wrenched during a storm considering of the flood in your basement.
“A lot of people will put shower backups on their sump pumps considering if for whatever reason the power goes out and the sump pump stops working and it pours, that’s going to all end up in your basement.”
