Home Maintenance Checklist

Buying a house is often one of the biggest investments you’ll make in your life. Your house is the place that is truly your own and you should be able to enjoy the time you spend there. That means keeping up with maintenance requirements, too.

Like any other big purchase, a house experiences wear and tear with age and use. Maybe your backyard landscaping has gotten out of hand or the appliances you’ve had since moving in a few decades ago are starting to falter.

When you’re juggling all of life’s other responsibilities at the same time, it can be difficult to stay on top of home maintenance. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help you attend to your property’s most essential needs. Use this comprehensive home maintenance checklist to keep your home in top shape.

Daily

Fortunately, there are few maintenance tasks you’ll need to handle daily. Most upkeep is only necessary on a monthly or seasonal basis. However, you can address several items to ensure your house stays operational and responsibilities don’t pile up.

Cleaning Regularly

Vacuuming, wiping off countertops and disinfecting the bathroom — these cleaning tasks may not seem like serious maintenance, but they can serve as preventive measures that help you avoid repairs or replacements in the future.

Keeping your home clean and comfortable goes a long way toward creating a healthy environment. Grime builds up over time and can lead to aesthetic issues or potential health problems, like mold growth. Living in a tidy space even has mental health benefits for everyone in your family.

Every day, you can dust or disinfect surfaces, do laundry as necessary, make the bed, wash dishes and declutter any items that pile up. Taking a few minutes each day to tidy up and save yourself headaches in the future.

Check Locks and Alarms

The items you rely on most for your health and safety can also undergo the most wear and tear. For example, you probably use your locks and switch on your security system every single day. Each time you set the alarm or turn the lock, check the hardware. Are any bolts loose? Tighten them up before turning in for the night.

You should exercise the same vigilance with your carbon monoxide and smoke alarms. It takes just a few seconds to double-check that your carbon monoxide detectors are plugged in or that the smoke detectors throughout your home are working properly. These quick maintenance tasks can save lives.

Clear Your Garbage Disposal

Much like cleaning the rest of your home, clearing your garbage disposal regularly is an easy way to prevent more serious maintenance issues down the road. Every night you can remove any food particles, grind a few ice cubes and then flush the system with a combination of baking soda and hot water.

Monthly

Most maintenance tasks don’t demand your attention every day — otherwise, we wouldn’t have time for anything else! However, you should check in with these responsibilities every couple of weeks or seasonally to ensure you keep your home in good shape. 

Inspect Filters and Vents

Your HVAC system can operate efficiently for a long time. However, keeping your HVAC in top condition requires serious vigilance. Vents, fans, furnaces, ductwork, air filters and more — all of these components can malfunction and leave you without proper ventilation, heat or air conditioning when you need it most.

Regular inspections help you catch problems early, sometimes even before an issue develops. Replace filters as necessary and make sure vents are not blocked by furniture or other debris. 

Tighten or Replace Hardware

Loose doorknobs, squeaky cabinets and dead lightbulbs — these are common issues that are often delayed or ignored instead of addressed. Before you know it, you’ve been living with a burnt-out bulb or scuffed-up floor for months.

Rather than kick the can even further down the road, take a weekend morning once a month to catch up on these around-the-house tasks. Replace any worn-out door handles, replace batteries in remotes and appliances, replenish your firewood stockpile and replace broken light fixtures as necessary.

Take Care of Your Lawn

Your lawn can quickly get out of hand, which is why it’s important to stay on top of yard maintenance. During the growing season, you should mow your grass lawn around once a week. Clean up yard debris and rake leaves as they gather.

Annually

Many maintenance jobs only need attention every couple of months or years. Remember to address these tasks on your home maintenance checklist annually or as necessary.

Replace Batteries in Smoke Detectors

Smoke detectors are necessary to keep your home and family safe. While smoke and fire alarms will typically “chirp” if the batteries are running low, you should replace batteries anyway at least once a year to ensure they’re fresh.

If you’ve lived in your home for more than ten years, consider replacing the smoke detector itself with a newer model. After a decade, it may be time to switch to a fresher and more up-to-date alarm in case of an emergency. 

Clean Your Roof and Gutters

When you’re handling routine yard work, don’t forget to check your gutters and drains every couple of months. It’s easy for debris to build up on your roof and gather in your gutters, which can lead to water leaks and other problems for your home’s integrity.

At least once a year, when the weather is good and you can safely access your gutter with a ladder, check for any clogs or leaks. You can purchase specialty tools that help you clean your downspouts to ensure they direct water away from your home’s foundation and roof.

Seasonal Tasks

Seasonal tasks are the maintenance responsibilities you only need to address once a year as the weather and your priorities change. For example, if you live in a cold climate, you should prepare for winter by insulating your pipes and preparing the snow plow, shovels or other tools.

Before summer arrives, get your HVAC system serviced to ensure your air conditioning will handle the hottest days of the year. If you have a pool, perform annual maintenance so it’s ready for lots of use during warm weather.

Follow a Home Maintenance Checklist

Following a basic home maintenance checklist will help you save time and money and prevent a lot of headaches in the future. Stay on top of your maintenance tasks to ensure your house is a refuge for your family all year round.