Prevention is better than the cure – and that’s especially true when it comes to home maintenance. Having to call for emergency service during a home care crisis can be extremely expensive – not to mention stressful.
So, to prevent this happening, it’s very sensible to add some home maintenance tasks to your ‘to-do’ list. Spend just a few hours on maintenance tasks per year and you could save yourself thousands of dollars in repairs. We’ve drawn up five easy home maintenance tasks almost all home owners should be doing – although there’s plenty more you can do besides these!

1. Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

This is by far and away the most important home maintenance task that everyone should do. Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors at least once every three months. It literally takes seconds but could save your life and help you avoid enormous amounts of damage to your home.

2. Clear your gutters

If your gutters get blocked by leaves and other debris, they won’t work. As a consequence, water will run down the side of your property and can cause serious damage to brickwork and siding. Depending on the number of trees near your home, the amount you have to clean your gutters will vary, but in general it’s recommended to do this once at the beginning of spring and once at the end of the fall after leaves have stopped falling.

3. Annual deep clean

Choose one Saturday every year where the whole family gets together for a deep clean of your property. This is about more than a bit of dusting – it’s about getting behind the refrigerator, about beating your rugs outside, about cleaning your windows and pressure washing your home’s siding. This will eliminate the long-term build up of grime, and mean you have less work cut out for you when it comes time to sell your home.

4. Check all electrical outlets and appliances

Monitor how electrical outlets are doing – if you notice a loose socket or frayed wiring, get this fixed as soon as possible. The same goes for other household appliances – vacuum your refrigerator coils, for instance, and get your air-conditioning serviced once per year.

5. Clear filters

When dust and particle filters block up your driers, air-conditioning or heating systems, these appliances become less efficient and use more energy. Depending on how heavily you use them, aim to replace filters at least once every couple of months and you’ll cut your energy bill fast.