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Check Those Winter Maintenance Tasks and Chores Off Your List

By: Tonya Bruin

smoke-detectorAs homeowners, we often spend our summers rushing to complete a long list of home maintenance tasks, while forgetting that many of these tasks could be completed over the winter. Granted, there are some tasks that you don’t want to be tackling in the middle of the winter, such as replacing your roof or a window, for example, you should take care of that before the cold weather arrives.

However, there are many chores that can easily be completed during the winter months, possibly freeing up some of your valuable time over the summer. Other chores, such as snow removal, only become necessary in the winter. Some of the more common winter chores include:

    1. 1. Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors should be tested at least once a year. It is good practice to change batteries every year and replace any alarm that is more than five years old.

 

    1. furnace-filters2. Change the filter in your furnace. If you had your furnace serviced in the fall, the technician will have changed the filter at that time. However, by changing your filter every month or two throughout the fall and winter, you will ensure that your furnace is running as efficiently as possible, which will save you money on heating costs.

 

    1. snow-plowing3. Snow removal often goes beyond the need to shovel the driveway and the front porch after a storm. Keep an eye on your roof for signs of ice dams. Using a snow rake to remove snow from the edges of your roof and around your gutters can help to prevent ice dams. It may also be necessary to clear some of the snow on your roof so that it doesn’t block any vents.

      Remember that all of the snow in your yard will melt soon enough. If you have had problems with your foundation leaking in the past, it may be a good idea to shovel snow away from the foundation of your house (particularly if you have an area that is prone to problems). Another option is to clear the snow from around the base of downspouts and add extensions, which may help your home’s gutter system to start moving water away from your foundation as soon as the snow starts to melt.

 

    1. 4. If you have older windows or skylights in your home, and replacing them isn’t an immediate option, you can cover them with an insulating film. The clear plastic coating can go a long way to reducing your heating costs over the winter and keeping your home comfortable by reducing drafts.

 

  1. 5. Kitchen and laundry room appliances all benefit from a thorough cleaning at least once a year. Refrigerator coils should be wiped clean. Your clothes dryer and dryer vent should be vacuumed to reduce the chance of starting a house fire. This can be done by using a shop vac on the inside of the vent.

 

Consider hiring a professional handyman to help with both regular household chores and one-time maintenance tasks and make it through your winter to-do list in record time! To Do Done Handyman Services can take care of the little fixes and the maintenance required to keep your home running optimally!