Regular home maintenance is important for any Frederick, Maryland building, old or new. While you may not spot the signs of neglected maintenance tasks right away, you’re sure to see the effects of overlooking these jobs in the future. Set up an organized home maintenance calendar to keep your house in top shape.
Identify Recurring Tasks Through the Year
There are many home maintenance tasks that should take place several times throughout the year. However, it’s easy to forget about these regular jobs, causing your home comfort and efficiency to suffer. Once a month, you should change the filter in your HVAC system and clean your garbage disposal with baking soda and vinegar. Flip your mattress, wipe down the inside of your fridge, wash the ventilation filters in your range hood, and check and reseal grout and caulk every three months. Every six months, you should vacuum your fridge coils, clean the exterior dryer vent, and test smoke detectors.
Make Note of Seasonal Jobs
Many jobs coincide with seasonal changes in the weather. As cool weather approaches, you should have your heating system inspected to ensure everything is clean and well-maintained. This is also a good time to reverse the direction of your ceiling fan to rotate clockwise and push warm air down. In spring, you need to schedule a tune-up for your cooling system and switch your fans back to counterclockwise rotation to produce a refreshing wind chill effect as warm weather approaches.
Stock Up on Supplies
Having the right tools on hand will make it much easier to complete home maintenance tasks as soon as you see them on your calendar. If you don’t have the supplies needed to complete the job, you may put it off and forget about it altogether. Keep a stock of air filters for three to six months’ worth of changes so you can do this job in just seconds. Keep matching caulk and grout on hand, so you can seal cracks quickly when you spot them. A well-stocked cleaning basket makes it easy to keep your home in top condition.
Find Reliable Service Professionals
Some home maintenance tasks require the touch of a professional, such as your annual heating and cooling tune-ups. Don’t wait until it’s time to schedule a visit to find a reliable service provider. Keep the numbers of an HVAC technician, plumber, locksmith, pest control provider, and roofing contractor on hand so you can get in touch with the right professional for maintenance and repairs in minutes.
Consider Annual Maintenance Plans
Many home care professionals offer maintenance plans that will minimize the expense of regular visits. This plan may even include priority service calls and discounted repairs if you experience a problem in between your regular maintenance visits. Another perk of a maintenance plan is the regular reminder you’ll receive from your service professional, making it more difficult to overlook important tasks.
Find a Calendar that Suits Your Needs
You’ll find dozens of options available for personal calendars, but most can be divided into two categories: paper calendars and electronic calendars. If you rely on your smartphone or computer calendar for scheduling regular appointments, adding home maintenance tasks is a natural extension of the system you already have in place. You can also find handy home maintenance apps that will suggest important jobs and send you push notifications when it’s time to address them. Some even offer step-by-step instructions for new homeowners tackling these tasks for the first time.
If you prefer the traditional method of using a paper calendar or agenda book, this will work for your maintenance as well, so long as you have space to schedule your tasks several months into the future. Planning your home maintenance a year at a time will help you stay on top of these jobs all year round.
If you’re looking for a professional to help you with HVAC maintenance tasks, contact Griffith Energy Services at (888) 474-3391. In addition to Frederick, Maryland, we service homes throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, with locations in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and West Virginia to meet your needs.
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