Keep your home safe and prevent damage with yearly cleaning and upkeep. Plan maintenance for your house so it stays in better condition for longer. Here are some tips to prepare your home for summer:
Clean Your Gutters
If you didn’t clean your gutters before the wintertime, it’s time to do it now. Leaves and other debris can get stuck in your gutters, which makes it more difficult for them to function properly. The water won’t be able to travel through them, and the water will find other ways to escape, like leaking into your roof or down the side of your house.
Make sure your gutters are clean before the frequent summer storms to ensure you don’t have any unnecessary water damage. If your gutters become too heavy with rainwater and debris, there’s potential for them to fall off your home, causing even more damage and costly repair bills that are easily prevented.
You may want to consider installing gutter guards to limit the number of leaves and debris that stick in your gutters.
Service Your HVAC Unit
Make sure your HVAC unit is serviced and clean before the weather becomes too hot. It should be serviced once a year to ensure your HVAC is properly working and stays in better condition for longer. It’s best (and less expensive) to have it serviced regularly than to have it break and need to be replaced. If it’s too hot outside, you don’t want to be without an air conditioner.
Clean the Chimney
Have your chimney cleaned by a professional at least once a year. If you have a wood-burning chimney, then soot and a substance called creosote can build up in the flue. Creosote is an oily residue left behind that is highly flammable and can cause dangerous chimney fires that can burn up to 2,000 degrees.
If it isn’t already, make sure to close the damper in your fireplace. It should be closed whenever you’re not using it. Insects and other pests can make their way into your home through your chimney, so you should take extra precautions to ensure that it is closed.
Look Over Your Deck/Patio/Driveway
Have a good look over your deck, patio, and driveway to ensure they are in good condition. The winter weather can damage any wood, concrete, or asphalt that may make up your outdoor space. You’ll want to make sure there are no safety hazards along walkways—you don’t want to be sued by the postman for unlevel walkways!
Fill any cracks that may be in your concrete or asphalt. If they are becoming too uneven you may need to hire someone to fix them. Replace any broken wood that may be in your deck and check the handrails for stability. You may need to stain your wooden deck again if it doesn’t repel water as well as it used to. Staining your deck helps to protect it against the elements. If your deck absorbs the water, then it is at risk of rot.
Seal Gaps in Windows/Doorways
Walk around your house to ensure there are no gaps in your windows and doorways. You can take caulk to fill in the gaps to ensure your home stays weatherproof and energy efficient throughout the summer. If your windows are too old, you may want to consider having new windows installed that will provide better insulation in both the summer and the winter.
Tree Trimming
If there’s a tree branch or two looming over your house, you may want to call an arborist or landscaper to have them trimmed. Summer storms can easily break tree branches, so have your trees checked to make sure there are no safety concerns that could harm your home.
Update Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy
If you haven’t updated your homeowner’s insurance policy recently, contact your local insurance agent to ensure your home is covered with the insurance policies that suit your needs.
Keep your home safe and prevent damage with yearly cleaning and upkeep. Plan maintenance for your house so it stays in better condition for longer. Here are some tips to prepare your home for summer:
Clean Your Gutters
If you didn’t clean your gutters before the wintertime, it’s time to do it now. Leaves and other debris can get stuck in your gutters, which makes it more difficult for them to function properly. The water won’t be able to travel through them, and the water will find other ways to escape, like leaking into your roof or down the side of your house.
Make sure your gutters are clean before the frequent summer storms to ensure you don’t have any unnecessary water damage. If your gutters become too heavy with rainwater and debris, there’s potential for them to fall off your home, causing even more damage and costly repair bills that are easily prevented.
You may want to consider installing gutter guards to limit the number of leaves and debris that stick in your gutters.
Service Your HVAC Unit
Make sure your HVAC unit is serviced and clean before the weather becomes too hot. It should be serviced once a year to ensure your HVAC is properly working and stays in better condition for longer. It’s best (and less expensive) to have it serviced regularly than to have it break and need to be replaced. If it’s too hot outside, you don’t want to be without an air conditioner.
Clean the Chimney
Have your chimney cleaned by a professional at least once a year. If you have a wood-burning chimney, then soot and a substance called creosote can build up in the flue. Creosote is an oily residue left behind that is highly flammable and can cause dangerous chimney fires that can burn up to 2,000 degrees.
If it isn’t already, make sure to close the damper in your fireplace. It should be closed whenever you’re not using it. Insects and other pests can make their way into your home through your chimney, so you should take extra precautions to ensure that it is closed.
Look Over Your Deck/Patio/Driveway
Have a good look over your deck, patio, and driveway to ensure they are in good condition. The winter weather can damage any wood, concrete, or asphalt that may make up your outdoor space. You’ll want to make sure there are no safety hazards along walkways—you don’t want to be sued by the postman for unlevel walkways!
Fill any cracks that may be in your concrete or asphalt. If they are becoming too uneven you may need to hire someone to fix them. Replace any broken wood that may be in your deck and check the handrails for stability. You may need to stain your wooden deck again if it doesn’t repel water as well as it used to. Staining your deck helps to protect it against the elements. If your deck absorbs the water, then it is at risk of rot.
Seal Gaps in Windows/Doorways
Walk around your house to ensure there are no gaps in your windows and doorways. You can take caulk to fill in the gaps to ensure your home stays weatherproof and energy efficient throughout the summer. If your windows are too old, you may want to consider having new windows installed that will provide better insulation in both the summer and the winter.
Tree Trimming
If there’s a tree branch or two looming over your house, you may want to call an arborist or landscaper to have them trimmed. Summer storms can easily break tree branches, so have your trees checked to make sure there are no safety concerns that could harm your home.
Update Your Homeowner’s Insurance Policy
If you haven’t updated your homeowner’s insurance policy recently, contact your local insurance agent to ensure your home is covered with the insurance policies that suit your needs.