Home Jobs by MOM

Insights. Ideas. Improvements.

New Year’s Resolution Guide to Year Long Home Maintenance

THIS WEBSITE USES AFFILIATE LINKS WHICH MEANS WE RECEIVE COMPENSATION IF YOU PURCHASE A PRODUCT THROUGH THEM. VISIT OUR DISCLOSURE PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Pin107
Tweet
Share
107 Shares

Maybe this is the year to go on an adventure or take a business risk. Perhaps you’ve decided to cook healthier foods or save more money. The beginning of the new year is an opportunity for improvement, from spending more time with the family to elevating your career.

But for many on-the-go busy working moms, simply maintaining the home can be a never-ending task. And without regular tune-ups, you may face laborious and costly repairs down the road.

If you want to make regular home maintenance your New Year’s resolution, stay on track with this list, ranging from monthly to annual tasks. Identify tasks to complete every weekend, and your house will be a healthy, happy home for the long-term.

Monthly Home Maintenance

  • Inspect HVAC filters and replace if dirty. If you’re a smaller family without pets or allergies, replacing filters every 2-3 months may be sufficient.
  • Clean the kitchen sink disposal by running vinegar ice cubes through the disposal. Vinegar ice cubes help freshen and sharpen blades. Flushing with hot water and baking soda is another option.
  • Degrease your range hood vent filter using auto degreaser and hot water. Rinse the filter in the mixture in the sink for a few minutes to clean the filter.
  • Clean out dirt and debris in sink and tub drains with a drain cleaner.
  • Ensure that your fire extinguisher is in proper working condition, including adequate pressure, intact locking pin, unbroken tamper seal and no visible signs of wear or tear.

Quarterly Home Maintenance

  • Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Replace batteries if no alarm sounds when you hit the “test” button.
  • Check the water heater. Repair any leaks. If you live in an area with hard water, drain 1-2 gallons to reduce calcium buildup. Also, check the pressure relief valve to prevent mineral and corrosion buildup and keep it running efficiently.
  • Check the water softener. Add salt if necessary.
  • Clean faucets, showerheads, and aerators.
  • Inspect weather stripping and caulking around doors and windows. Replace holes and cracks with new material.
  • Lubricate hardware to help keep windows and doors in good shape, providing free and easy movement. Rid sliding windows and doors of dirt, dust, and debris.

Semiannually Home Maintenance

  • Give the whole house a proper deep clean. Keep your house in optimal shape by eliminating dirt, grime and dust buildup from room corner to room corner.
  • Vacuum refrigerator coils. As coils get dirty, the fridge will use more energy to run. Keep it running efficiently and save electricity with well-maintained coils.
  • Exercise electrical breakers so all moving parts breakthrough any grease and grime buildup and ensure proper operation. (Without opening for a long period of time, a circuit breaker can have performance issues.)
  • Test Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GCFI outlets), which detect dangerous current flow and instantly shuts off the power. These electrical devices may damage or wear out.

Annually Home Maintenance

  • Winter: Check for ice dams and remove icicles. Heavy icicles can be hazardous to others and damage your home, as well as damage the foundation when melting.
  • Spring: Inspect the home exterior for any winter damage. Check drainage and clean out gutters. Make any necessary repairs, such as chipping paint, damaged siding, roofing leaks, holes in bricks or cracks in the foundation.
  • Summer: Treat insect infestation with pest control from places like Joshua’s Pest Control. Ants, ticks, and termites can be particularly problematic during the summer months. Also, clear cobwebs and make sure after your summer vacation to look for any signs of bed bugs upon your return home.
  • Fall: Winterize your home. Hire a pro to inspect your furnace and heating ducts. Trim nearby trees, caulk air leaks, replace the furnace filter, check insulation, wrap pipes and install storm windows and doors to increase energy savings.

home maintenance

What is your best home maintenance tip?

Related Posts:

Pin107
Tweet
Share
107 Shares
Category: , , Tag: ,

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I have my jobs to do the maintain the house for winter and so on. They need to be done to help maintain the home and to not get any unforeseen problems later on.

    Reply

  2. Perfect time of the year to take care of a lot of these things before the bad winter sets in. Thanks for doing all the work! Now, all we have is to do the maintenance or write out the Honey Do List. ?

    Reply

    • Writing out the honey-do list is always a good idea! 🙂 Yeah, I have found it better to check all of these things off the list before the deep cold sets in

      Reply

  3. Oh, dear. I don’t think I do half those things. Sometime in the last decade, I think we looked at our fire extinguishers. Or was it the previous decade?

    And if we tried calking the air leaks in our 1882 home, we’d deplete the entire North American supply of calking, and out home would look like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man.

    Reply

    • It is actually quite smart to have a list printed off so you can check it off once done. It’s too easy to overlook some of these tasks.

      Reply

  6. Great tips! There are a few here I already do but there are also some that never even crossed my mind. We’ll need to up our home maintenance game.

    Reply

    • It is really easy to overlook some of these things, so I get that completely. Feel free to print out this guide to keep on hand.

      Reply

  8. Breaking the task down like this is a great idea because it is easier to keep track of things! I make a similar list every start of the year but looking at your list, it seems I have forgotten to add a couple of things!

    Reply

  9. I think a lot of people forget to maintain their fridge by tending to the coils and other upkeep. I learned that the hard way.

    Reply

  10. Great list of house maintenance tips. I didn’t know the one about draining some water from water heaters if you have hard water. I may need to look into that.

    Reply

  13. These are really great tips, and very important.
    I live in a snow belt, which means severe winters. I am constantly checking for winter damage, and in the spring I am always working on something to fix it.

    thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  16. Some great ideas here. I was happy when I saw the winter annual one and thought Yes! one that doesn’t have to be done! I live in New Zealand so not necessary

    Reply

  17. This is an ambitious list! I wish I had the motivation that you do to keep up the house! Good luck and happy new year!

    Reply

  20. Thanks so much for these tips. I’ve been looking for a checklist setup like this everywhere, and it looks like I’ve finally found it.

    Reply

  21. I have no home maintenance tips! I barely keep it together with three little ones under foot! I used to be really good about keeping everything together, but have definitely slacked off. This year is my year though! This is a great list!

    Reply

  24. I have to admit that I’m embarrassed about how few of these things I actually do. However, in line with the image at the top of your post, I do have a dog who does pre-wash in the dishwasher nightly.

    Reply

  25. What a great list! I don’t have a task to add, but I did want to mention that This Old House usually includes 3-4 reminders to check or update around the home in each issue, which really comes in handy.

    Reply

  26. Great list of tips and reminders to check up on all parts of the house to make sure things are working well and smoothly. I’ve never heard of the vinegar ice tip for the sink, thanks for that!

    xo,
    lauriel (EyeForElegance.com)

    Reply

  27. what a great checklist. Of course, sometimes we don’t feel like doing these things but it’s necessary and this list helps!

    Reply

  29. I’m pretty good about keeping the house clean but I need to be better about the overall home maintenance. This is a great list to get started with!

    Reply

  31. Great tips.

    I feel so much more “together” when I have organised paperwork, spring cleaned and checked appliances.

    Vinegar is excellent for cleaning metallic taps -it leaves them sparkling.

    Reply

  32. I’m embarrassed to say I don’t have any home maintenance tips. Probably because my husband is on top of it all.

    Reply

    • We have one of those filters that last a year. I’m not looking forward to my husband going up in the attic for it. It’s in an awful location right above an open railing. I’m afraid he will fall!

      Reply

  40. I need to be better about taking better care of my house. I Love that you broke everything down like this.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.