Your Spring Maintenance Checklist
Simple Tips to Keep Your Home in Tip Top Shape
As winter ends, give your home a complete physical—inside and out—to ready it for those warm summer months ahead. Take advantage of the moderate temperatures to get a head start on what should be an annual spring home maintenance routine and scroll to download our FREE Spring Maintenance Checklist.
Appliances & HVAC
AC Filters
It’s important to be able to use both the air conditioner as well as the heater in your home during the spring, because temperatures can fluctuate daily. There is also an increase in pollen which aggravates allergies and replacing your A/C filters monthly help in reducing the allergens that enter your home.
HVAC System
Your HVAC system should be serviced by a qualified technician once a year. The technician will come to your home to perform the preventive maintenance will check all the systems or just a specific one, depending on your requirements.
Hot Water Heater
It is recommended that you flush your water heater at least once a year. Doing so will help to prevent the potential problems that sediment can bring over time. Be sure to consult your owner’s manual on the full procedure details.
Sump Pump
Sump pumps are necessary for many homes to prevent water flowing through your home that you can’t control. Whether you’ve faced water damage in your home or not, it’s important to test your sump pump and make sure it is properly working and you have a battery backup.
Oven
Crumbs, baked-on grease, and rust are just some of the aspects of spring cleaning your oven. Take the time to deep clean not only the inside of your oven and stove top, but also the range hood and filter.
Washer/Dryer
Because a buildup of lint in the dryer vent is a potential fire hazard, it’s a good idea to clean out the dryer vent and remove trapped lint out of the dryer hose and lint filter.
Exterior
Gutters
Cleaning gutters in the spring will prepare them for heavy spring and summer rains. When possible, avoid cleaning gutters after a rain. Allowing a few dry days before cleaning your gutters will allow the debris to dry out, making the chore much easier. Start your gutter cleaning near the downspout and work towards the closed end. Also be sure to water is directed to flow away from your home.
Caulking
Take the time to walk around your home and inspect the caulking around all exterior doors, windows, and siding for rigidity and seal. If your caulking has cracks or does not adhere to your home, re-caulk as needed.
Touch Up Exterior
To ensure your exterior siding/stucco/paint/stain/masonry is providing your home the ultimate protection, keep up with an annual inspection of the outside, and touch up as needed.
Roof
Now is the best time to schedule your spring roof inspection by a qualified technician. Small repairs here and there will extend your roof’s longevity – protecting your investment in your home.
Interior
Indoor Caulking
Inspect the grout and calking in the kitchen and bathroom and re-caulk and grout as needed.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Test the smoke alarms and carbon-monoxide detectors and install fresh batteries if needed.
Refrigerator
There’s more to cleaning a refrigerator than just throwing out old food. To keep your fridge running cold, it’s important to clean and vacuum the refrigerator coils—those long tubes snaking along the bottom or back of your fridge.
Kitchen Sink / Garbage Disposal
Keep your sink odor and bacteria-free with a deep clean of the kitchen drain and garbage disposal.
Attic
An attic inspection each spring is a good practice. Attic problems are usually cumulative, that is they get worse over time. Uncovering and addressing problems early can save you money and headaches in the long run. Inspect the attic for signs of leaks or pests.
Landscaping
Aerate and Fertilize Lawn
For spring aerating, the best time to aerate your lawn in Ohio is early to mid-March. This will ensure that you will be able to prevent weeds. Applying fertilizer will help thicken up the lawn by stimulating new growth.
Start Up irrigation System
A residential or commercial irrigation system that has been shut down for the winter can bring some surprises during a start up in spring. When the risk of colder temperatures has passed, our experienced and certified team will be out to get your system back up and running.
Turn on Exterior Faucets
Turning the outside spigot on after winter can be daunting. If you did not winterize the outside spigot correctly, there could be water damage that you’re unaware of. Simply turn on the outdoor spigot and watch for leaks. Be sure to remember that if you cut off the water supply to the faucet for winter that you turn that back on first.
Trim Trees and Shrubs Away from the House
Proper pruning of overgrown shrubs or trees near your house will help protect your home from risk and avoid injury to yourself, your family, and guests.
Lawn Mower
Keeping your lawn mower in good maintenance year-to-year is pretty easy, and only requires a few basic steps – New air filter, new spark plug, engine oil, sharpen the blades, and clean under the mower deck.
FREE Spring Maintenance Checklist
FREE Spring Maintenance ChecklistDownload FREE Spring Maintenance Checklist
Contact your Hertvik Insurance agent with any questions you have about the various ways you might be able to upgrade your policy to increase your protection for your home.
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