Home maintenance is often something a lot of people neglect to do because of all their busy schedules and tasks. Aside from work, all the regular cooking, cleaning, laundry, and household chores can take up most of your time.
Despite everything you do for your family, spending just a little bit of time on home maintenance can definitely save you a lot of money in the future. The benefits of home maintenance far outweigh the costs of not doing it in the first place. You don’t want to be caught off guard when something suddenly breaks down in your home and causes some problems. To avoid those costly complications, here are five home maintenance tips you should do at least once a year.
Inspecting Your Roof
Start with doing a thorough roof inspection, then go all the way to other areas around your house. Your roof takes a lot of beating from the elements as it’s the most exposed part of your home. Roof repairs can cost a lot of money and cause many problems for you and your family. When inspecting your roof, here are a few things to look for:
- Cracked or Missing Shingles
- Moss Buildup
- Clogged Gutters
Cleaning Dryer Vents
The next area you should check is your dryer vents. Unclean vents can quickly become a fire hazard that can cause irreparable damage to your home and can even cost you your life. According to the National Fire Protection Association, unclean dryer vents cause about 34% of house fires. If ever you smell something bad coming from your dryer, take it as a sign that you should check your vents and clean them.
Checking Your Household Plumbing
Fat and oils can solidify and easily clog your drain. Pour some hot water and dishwasher soap over your drains to melt all the fatty deposits. Avoid using strong acids like Drano to clean your drains, as they can also cause some damage to your pipes. Drain snakes are a better tool to use to unclog your drains.
Re-Caulking Windows
If you notice a draft inside your house, then you might need to re-caulk your windows. Leaving drafty windows unchecked means your heaters use up more energy to keep your house warm. That could be a nightmare for your electricity bills. Check the caulking and waterproofing strips in every window around the house to make sure they haven’t dried out. They’re quite cheap and easy to replace.
Draining Your Water Heater
Storage tank water heaters should be drained at least once a year. Leaving the water in for years could cause sediment to form at the bottom of the water tank. Sediments create hot spots that will damage your water tank. Remember to cut off the electricity and water supply first before draining the tank.
Conclusion
Those are just five of the most obvious things to check when doing home maintenance. Taking the time to inspect your home and do some maintenance checks can go a long way to ensuring you don’t encounter problems any time soon. You not only save money from expensive repairs, but you also protect yourself and your family from any accidents and hazards in your home. If you manage to see anything that may need to be replaced or repaired, it’s best to seek the services of a professional.
Hiring the right contractor to do maintenance and repairs is what every homeowner wants. To ensure you get reliable service from highly-skilled professionals, turn to Gillespie Handyman Services. For more than 15 years, we’ve been providing handyman services in Ottawa. Trust only the experts from Gillespie Handyman. Get a free quote today!