Spring maintenance tips are exactly what your home needs after the beating it’s taken this winter, when snow, freezing rain, and wild ups and downs in temperature were as hard on houses as they were on those living in them. Here are 10 top tips for what you can and should do to help get your home back in shape.
- Replace your air filter in your furnace, heat pump or heat recovery ventilator. After filtering out many allergens and dust over the winter, it’s time to be refreshed.
- Check your deck, porch and exterior stairs, especially those made of wood, for deterioration and rot. Applying a protective wood treatment or replacing rotten boards will extend the life and improve the safety of these areas.
- Clean out your eavestroughs, and ensure they are well attached and the water is flowing at least one metre away from your home.
- Notice where water is going around your home and property as the snow melts to ensure that natural drainage flows away from your home. Spring rains can come in a hurry!
- Further to drainage, if you have a sump pump test it out and make sure it is ready to run if it’s needed.
- Check your window sills, siding and exterior paint for signs of wear and tear. Bubbling, peeling or cracking paint will signal that it’s time to have those areas sanded down and touched up.
- Your foundation and the parging that surrounds the base of your home may have been impacted by snow sitting against it during the winter. Do a walk around and identify any areas that need patching or cracks that need filling.
- Check your roof for any cracked or missing shingles, and have them replaced. While you’re at it, ensure that exterior fixtures such as satellite dishes and exterior lights haven’t been loosened by all the snow and ice. If they have, tighten them up.
- Spring is a great time to get around to re-caulking the exterior of windows to keep out water and provide a good seal.
- Finally, every season change is a good reminder to change the batteries in your smoke and CO detectors, as these are life-saving devices and simple to upkeep.
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