Year-Round Home Maintenance Checklist

To preserve your home’s value and help prevent damages, it’s important to regularly take a look around your home and address any needed maintenance. This handy checklist, organized by time of year, can help you stay on track, save money, and keep everyone in your home cozy, safe, and comfortable.

• Get your home’s HVAC unit serviced by a professional.
• Clean out gutters, removing any leaves or debris.
• Wash your home’s exterior, including windows, and check for any damaged wood or peeling paint that needs repair.
• Trim back any trees that may drop limbs on your home.
• Check the roof for damage to shingles, flashing, or vents.
• Inspect the attic for any roof leaks.
• Power wash and refinish the deck (if you have a wooden one).
• Vacuum your refrigerator’s coils.
• Replace the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

• Perform a tune-up on your garage door, chain, and hinges (or call a professional to take care of this for you).
• Clean out the garage.
• Check weatherstrips around exterior doors and replace any that are torn, cracked, or allow airflow.
• Wrap your water heater in an insulation jacket to help lower utility costs. 

• Get your HVAC unit serviced by a professional.
• Clean out gutters, removing any leaves or debris. 
• Mend cracks and gaps in the driveway and walkway.
• Drain and winterize exterior plumbing and hoses before the first frost.
• Have your fireplace and chimney professionally inspected.
• Vacuum your refrigerator’s coils.
• Replace the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

• Watch for leaks that may result from frozen pipes, especially in the attic, basement, exterior walls, and under sinks.
• Shovel snow from your driveway and walkway.
• Stock up on essentials so that you’re prepared in case a winter storm hits unexpectedly. 

There are a handful of home maintenance tasks that should be handled on a monthly basis. Each of these is quick and simple, and they could save you money in the long run.

• Take a look at the filters in your home’s air conditioning system and change them if there’s significant dust or debris buildup.
• Inspect the fire extinguishers in your home, ensuring they aren’t expired and still function properly.
• Test smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they work properly.
• Clean the vent behind your clothes dryer.
• Clean the disposal in your kitchen sink.
• Clean the filter in your dishwasher.