There are to-do lists and “honey-do” lists, weekend warrior lists, and spring cleaning lists. Lists keep us focused and organized. While we do talk a lot about heating and air conditioning issues at Experts In Your Home, we're also a full-service home maintenance company, which is why we’re providing you with a comprehensive fall home maintenance checklist so that you can prepare your home for the cooler days ahead.
The checklist is broken down into tasks by location – so if it's raining on a day you had planned to inspect your roof, focus on indoor tasks instead. You may choose to look at the tasks in terms of your interest or competence, and that's a good perspective, too. You cannot be good or proficient at everything around the house – that's our specialty, so if you get stuck on a task or consider it outside your comfort level, remember that we're just one phone call away.
Interior home maintenance checklist
- Replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure that your home has one smoke detector on every floor.
- Check the charge on your fire extinguishers. Replace those that are more than six years old. Keep one fire extinguisher near your kitchen and one in the garage.
- Inspect your electrical outlets and the cords you typically plug into them. Repair loose-fitting plugs; replace any cords with frayed wires.
- Clean the clothes dryer exhaust duct as well as the area around your dryer. Remove lint, dust and other debris to prevent a fire.
- Review your fire/emergency escape plan or take the time to draft one. Conduct an emergency drill with your family and assign tasks. (Who should grab important papers? Who should gather cell phones? Who should safeguard the family pet?) Agree on a safe meeting place. Families who have survived home emergencies often credit planning with saving their lives.
- Replace your furnace filter.
- Insulate your water heater and pipes.
- Install storm windows, if you have them.
- Check every indoor faucet and repair leaks.
- Inspect the caulking around sinks, toilet bases, showers and bathtubs and repair as necessary.
- Clean your humidifiers so that bacteria and spores don't contaminate your indoor air.
- Reset the blades on your ceiling fans so that the blades run in a clockwise direction and push warm air down from the ceiling.
Exterior home maintenance checklist
- Check the foundation for cracks and caulk: gaps and holes; where brick meets siding; where pipes or wires enter your home; and around windows and door frames.
- Inspect your roof for missing, loose, or curled shingles as well as for damage to the metal flashing in valleys, around vents, and near the chimney. Your roof is your home's first and best defense against the outdoor elements.
- Clean out your gutters and downspouts and then flush them with water. Inspect the joints and tighten loose brackets.
- Install weather-stripping around your garage door.
- Check for peeling or blistering paint. Leaving this condition uncorrected on any surface can lead to expensive repairs.
- Walk along the sidewalks, pathways and steps around your home and make repairs now before falling leaves obstruct any problems from view.
- Inspect your asphalt driveway for cracks. Plug them with driveway filler before coating the driveway with a quality commercial sealer.
Fireplace tips
- Inspect your chimney for any visual signs of damage or deterioration.
- Ascertain that the flue cap – the screen or baffle that covers the top of the chimney – is in place. Birds and small animals are known to build nests on top of unprotected flues.
- Direct a bright flashlight up the flue and look for creosote deposits about 1/8-inch thick. Have this deposit removed to reduce the risk of fire.
- Test the damper to ensure that it opens and closes properly.
Yard and garden tips
- Organize your garage or outdoor storage unit.
- Sharpen the blades on your lawnmower, trimmer, and other tools, replace fluids and perform other basic maintenance.
- Fertilize your lawn with a high phosphorous mix to prepare it for spring growth.
- Examine your pool cover for damage and replace it, if necessary.
Make this home maintenance checklist part of your to-do list this weekend and you’re home will be ready for fall in no time.
If at any time you need expert help with any home maintenance task, contact a technician at Experts In Your Home.
