Seasonal Home Maintenance Checklist
Your home is most likely your biggest asset. Keeping your house well-maintained makes your home more enjoyable, cleaner, and healthier. And when you are ready to part way with your house, you can get a better price and sell it faster if it is well-maintained. Here is a checklist to help you maintain your home throughout the four seasons of the year.
Spring
- Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Change batteries as needed.
- Inspect HVAC air filter. Replace or clean as needed.
- Clean your windows inside and outside, including areas around the windows.
- Check window and door screens for holes and tears.
- Make repairs or replace the screens as needed.
- Replace your windows’ caulk and weather stripping.
- Test your sump pump in the basement. Sump pump pulls water away from your house and prevents flooding. If you have a sump pump, test it to make sure it is working.
- Inspect your roof. Look for missing or loose shingles, and clear away any debris that may have accumulated on the roof over the winter.
- Remove leaves and debris out of the gutters and downspouts. Wash off the gutters with water to check for leaks.
- Repair cracks in the driveway. Re-coat the driveway if needed (asphalt driveway only).
- Inspect ground around your house foundation.
- Trim away bushes, hedges, and trees that are too close to your house.
- If ground slopes toward the house, add soil and top off with mulch to build a slope away from the house.
- Check downspout extensions and diverters to make sure they carry water away from the house.
- Get a pest inspection and do treatments as needed.
- Service your lawn equipment.
- Apply pre-emergent weed killer and fertilizer to your lawn.
- Inspect your well and septic system.
Summer
- Inspect HVAC air filter. Replace or clean as needed.
- Clean your siding.
- For vinyl siding, power wash your siding to prevent mold from building up.
- For wood siding, lightly clean and do touch up painting as needed
- Touch up painting any exterior surfaces that have cracking or peeling paint.
- Re-stain or re-coat decks, porches, and patios.
- Flush your water heater.
- Clean lint from the dryer exhaust.
- Trim bushes and hedges, and prune your trees.
- Lubricate doors, windows, and garage doors.
Fall
- Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Change batteries as needed.
- Inspect HVAC air filter. Replace or clean as needed.
- Inspect and clean your fireplace and chimney.
- Clean the gutters and downspouts.
- Aerate the lawn.
- Apply fertilizer and seeds.
- Service your snowblower
Winter
- Store away lawn equipment and outdoor furniture.
- Drain and winterize exterior water spigots.
- Have salt and shovels ready.
- Insulate doors and windows as needed.
- Recaulk kitchen and bathrooms as needed.