Home Maintenance Checklist

With the high cost of living and prices soaring on everything these days, we are all looking for ways to cut costs. Keeping your home healthy and well maintained is a great way to cut costs and save money. Routine home maintenance can help lower your utility costs. Using a home maintenance checklist can help you protect one of your most important investments by preventing the most common, and costly, problems before they occur.

1. Make sure everyone who lives in your house knows the location of all of the shutoff valves in your home so you'll be prepared for emergencies. This includes water, electric, and gas valves. Knowing where and how to cut off these things can prevent potential deadly and costly mishaps.

2. Grind some ice cubes in your garbage disposal to keep the cutting blades clean and cut down on odor.

3. Schedule an air conditioner check-up at least once a year. Keeping your air conditioner in good working order will keep energy efficient and extend the life of the unit.

4. Check the weather stripping on the door between your garage and the door leading into you home to make sure the weather stripping is in good condition. This will reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

5. Clean your kitchen vent hood and replace exhaust fan filter as needed. Keeping the kitchen vent clean of cooking grease can keep a stovetop fire from spreading.

6. Repair hinges and latches on your outside gates.

7. Lubricate the hinges and hardware on all doors and gates, both inside and outside the home.

8. Replace heating and cooling air filters as needed. Dirty filter can lower the efficiency of the heating and cooling system, which will increase the cost of heating and cooling your home.

9. Vacuum out of the way areas of your home to prevent dust and dander buildup. This is especially important if you have pets in the home or allergies.

10. Have your carpets and drapes cleaned at least every 12 to 18 months. This will help the fibers last longer buy removing dirt and grit.

11. Test and reset all GFCI outlets as a safety precaution. If the outlet don't reset then have them replaced.