Spring is finally here! As you jump into seasonal cleaning and sorting around the house, this is also a great time to look into home maintenance. There are parts of your home that have been in hibernation over the winter months. Now is a great time to dust things off. Take all the guesswork out of what needs to be done with our spring home maintenance checklist.

Spring is finally here, and you know what that means: It’s time for spring cleaning. As you begin the seasonal overhaul, , this is also a great time to look into home maintenance. There are parts of your home that have been in hibernation over the winter months. 

Use this spring home maintenance checklist as a guide to refresh, repair and prepare your home for warmer weather ahead.

Check for exterior damage on the walls and roof

Winter weather can take a toll on your home. Snow, sleet, rain, and debris can all leave a mark after a long winter. The first thing you’ll want to get done in your spring home maintenance checklist is to take a good look at your home’s exterior. 

Some places to look are:

• The roof
• The foundation
• The gutters
• The sides of the home
• Decks and porches
• Chimneys 

Look for shifted shingles, dented gutters, and cracks in masonry as you take inventory. Staying on top of this maintenance will help avoid major overhauls in the future. 

Run your exterior faucets 

Springtime means planting gardens and watering outdoor blooms. One of the best tools you have for your green thumb is a working exterior faucet. As you’re surveying your home exterior it’s also good to run all our outdoor faucets.

This is crucial because pipes go through a lot during the winter. They can expand or experience high pressure under the frozen earth. To make sure everything is working the way it should, turn on your faucets and make sure there aren’t any leaks. One quick trick is to turn on the faucet and then block the opening with your finger. If the water stops running—and you can’t feel pressure under your finger—that means there’s a leak somewhere in the system.

Clean your window screens

One of the best parts of the spring is that you finally get to open your windows again. However, your screens might be pretty dirty after going through an entire winter. Cleaning them will help increase your curb appeal, and will also keep that built-up debris from coming into your home.

It’s simple to clean screens: Just remove them from your windows and wipe them down with warm water and a light detergent. If the build-up is really heavy, you may want to break out a hose or pressure washer to really get them spotless.

Check the seals around your windows

While you’re looking at your window screens, you’ll also want to review the seals around your windows. Weather seals can crack, come unattached, or just plain wear out.  When that seal is compromised, it allows cold air to seep out of your home, causing your utility bills to go up. And of course, in the wintertime those same cracks will let cold air in. 

To see how your window seals are doing, take a look at the caulking and weather strips. They should be intact and not peeling. 

AC maintenance 

Once you know your windows are in tiptop shape, the next step in this spring home maintenance checklist is taking a look at your AC maintenance. You probably haven’t turned on your AC since the end of summer, so there is a chance there could be some issues with your air conditioner. 

Make sure everything is working with these steps:

• Cut the power to your AC by switching the circuit breaker off.
• Clear away leaves, pollen, dirt, and grass from your unit.
• Remove covers and condenser coil blankets.
• Rinse the filters and fins with a hose.
• Repair or replace damaged pipe insulation.
• Inspect the condensate line.
• Schedule a professional inspection to make sure you didn’t miss anything!

Change your HVAC filter

Another important part of AC maintenance is changing the HVAC filter in your home. It’s good to change these filters at least once a season (every three months). Clean filters help both your AC and furnace work without issue. Filter build-up is a common symptom of an HVAC unit not working, so keeping them fresh will help save trouble in the long run.

And, of course, filters are important for keeping the air in your home clean and breathable. Dirty filters can leave particulates in the air that can aggravate allergies and respiratory diseases like asthma.

Consider investing in a high-efficiency pleated filter. They can catch smaller particles and more allergens, thus pushing much cleaner air into your home.

Dust your vents

There are lots of vents both inside and outside your home. The last step in our spring home maintenance checklist is to dust all of them. Clear all the cobwebs and dust bunnies that have accumulated. This will clear any blockages but also, again make the air in your home much cleaner.

It’s also worth considering a full ductwork cleaning. Dust and lint accumulates in your vents even if your filter is in pristine condition. Over time, that build-up can diminish air quality and even limit the flow-through of your HVAC system. Duct cleaning companies use a car-sized industrial vacuum cleaner to make sure your vents are spotless.

Spring is in the air

After you complete this spring home maintenance, you may find your AC needs repair or a closer look. Contact us, rain or shine, for any of your AC maintenance needs!