Spring ahead with these maintenance tips for your home!

When springtime rolls around in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington, we start to think about spring cleaning.  Cleaning is important, but there’s something even more important to keep in mind; Home Maintenance!  Your home is one of your most important possessions and investments.  By keeping it property maintained, you can reduce the risk of a loss.

It’s a common tradition in a lot of homes to change the batteries in your smoke detectors when you change your clocks at daylight-savings time, but there are other things to check up on around your home in the spring as well.  Here’s a quick list of tips to help your family give your home a spring check-up.

Home Interior

• Check your basement / crawlspace for any signs of standing water or drips.
• Check all air filters and replace, if needed.
• Test your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Have your air conditioning system inspected by a professional as recommended by the manufacturer.

Home Interior - Appliances

• Pull out your dryer and clean the exhaust house and vent.  Remove all lint, dust and pieces of material.
• Vacuum the coils on the refrigerator/freezer to increase efficiency.

Home exterior – Roof, Siding Windows

• Check the roof for damage or missing shingles
• Check the attic for signs of standing water, moisture or moist odors – these may signal a roof leak.
• Walk around the exterior of the house examining the paint.  Touch up areas with chipped or peeling paint to safeguard the siding and trim from wet and windy spring weather.

Home exterior – Yard and Driveways

• Repair cracked, broken or uneven driveways and walkways to provide a level walking surface for your family and guests
• Clean any debris out of the gutters/downspouts and ensure they are properly connected to direct the water away from the house.
• Prune and trim any tree branches or shrubs that are learning over the house, driveway or walkway.
• Check for possible signs of rodents or pests in the yard, garden or crawlspace.

Spending a little time on home maintenance each season, can help protect your investment from the wear and tear of our season weather in Idaho and Washington.  Some damage from winter weather may cause significant damage that is easy to see, but most times, the wear and tear is more subtle.  If not taken care of, the small and subtle changes can lead to costly fixes and possibly dangerous situations.