Homeownership comes with many responsibilities, and it can be difficult to stay on top of all maintenance-related tasks. But often, paying attention to a few important places in your home can help you avoid making costly repairs. Here's a list of monthly maintenance tasks:
Check fire and safety equipment and get supplies
Make sure your home is safe, that you have supplies available in case of a storm or other situation that causes a power outage, and that your safety system is operational by testing it. To know if you are prepared for an emergency, test and change the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and check the expiration date on fire extinguishers.
Maintain your landscape
As part of routine maintenance in the warmer months, plan to care for your flower beds at least once a month, in addition to weekly lawn care. In some cases, allowing weeds to grow unchecked or dead leaves and other debris to accumulate, such as in flowerbeds, can put your property at risk, as these conditions can attract pests and even pose a fire hazard.
Maintain your appliances and kitchen
The kitchen is often the room in the house where people spend the most time. Your floors and worktops may ultimately become stained or damaged as a result of spilled foods and liquids from preparing, cooking, and serving meals. Spend some time every month cleaning cabinets and removing outdated products from your pantry. To help avoid blockages or leaks, clean your dishwasher in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and change the water filters in your refrigerator as needed. Check the hose between the wall and the refrigerator if it has an ice maker or water dispenser to see if it is pinched or strained.
Clean humid areas
If you don't have enough ventilation, mold and mildew can grow in showers, bathrooms, and other wet parts of your house. Scrub bathroom tile and grout with your favorite cleaning agent at least once a month to help prevent the growth of mold or mildew. Check the pipes and fixtures for any indications of wear or corrosion, such as leaks, discoloration, or other changes. Examine the caulking around sink, toilet, shower, and bathtub bases, and fix it as necessary.
Keep an eye on your plumbing
Regular plumbing system inspections need to be a key component of your home's upkeep. Visually assess the area and search for damage indicators. These include things like rust-like accumulation, deposits, frayed metal, and discoloration on braided supply hoses. They can also include things like discoloration on metal pipes, plastic, PEX, or polymer component breaking or crimping. Clean slow-moving drains as necessary to help avoid a significant backlog, and make sure the toilets aren't running continuously because doing so might waste water and cost you extra.
Fill up on cleaning supplies
It's a good idea to keep an inventory of the goods you need for house maintenance and to check it frequently. Finding the essential goods you might need to keep your house clean and your family healthy after a big storm might be difficult. Think about buying extra paper goods, sponges, cleaning wipes, liquid soap, and other cleaning supplies in a suitable quantity. Your routine for house upkeep can come to a halt if you run out of these goods in an emergency.
Keep your home inventory up to date
You should update your home inventory for insurance purposes if you modify your living space or make sizable purchases of furniture or equipment.
