With cooler weather in the air and fall coming soon on your calendar it’s the perfect time to start thinking about home maintenance for fall. Maintaining your home is an important part of home ownership because it can save you money and keep major catastrophes from ruining your budget later.
We put together a list of 28 home maintenance tips for fall below.
Home Emergency Fund
1. Create a home maintenance emergency fund.
You never know what kind of emergencies will happen. A broken fridge, a need for coolant for the air conditioner, a $1,000 deductible that needs to be paid when your roof gets a hole from a downed branch. Ensuring that you have the funds to handle any emergency life can throw you is key to home maintenance.
Indoor Home Maintenance Tips
2. Weatherproof your windows and doors. If you have newer windows you may not need to do this, but consider using heavier curtains for the winter.
3. Call a chimney sweep to clean chimney and inspect for damage. You can often find deals in the fall for this needed service.
4. Protect yourself from frozen indoor pipes.
Think about adding insulation to those pipes to save yourself not only from frozen pipes, but to also make your system more efficient.
5. Check and change the batteries in alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. A must do every season.
6. Clean out your dryer vent. If you have a long hose you can hire someone to clean it from the dryer to the outside exhaust. This will prevent fires.
7. Replace your furnace filters. Plan to do this once a month for fall.
8. Think about switching to a programmable thermostat. You can save big money by using a programmable thermostat. Read more about programmable thermostats here.
9. Have a window air conditioner? Remove and store or cover the condenser with plastic to protect it.
10. Check for dampness in your basement. If you have high humidity consider a dehumidifier.
11. Check and test your sump pump if you have one.
12. Use colored drink mix in a toilet to check your seals. Put it in your tank and if the bowel water turns color check the flapper and other seals.
13. Check the extension cords being used in your house for nicks or frayed spots. Consider installing smart extension cords.
14. Remove hair from drains in sinks, tubs, and showers.
15. Look for water leaks on your ceiling.
16. Make sure caulking around bathroom fixtures is in good shape.
17. Drain your hot water heater and remove sentiment. Removing the sentiment can extend the life of your hot water heater.
Outdoor Home Maintenance Tips
18. Check your outdoor painted surfaces for chipped paint and mildew. Clean or repair them.
19. Run your gas powered lawn equipment until fuel tank is empty to prevent fire hazards.
20. Cut and stack wood for your fireplaces to prepare for those cold winter days.
21. Clean and store your outdoor furniture.
22. Check the drainage around your home for standing water. Standing water can attract all sorts of animals and bugs that can cause damage to your home.
23. Lubricate your garage door’s chains and roller mechanisms.
24. Trim the trees and get rid of dead limbs that could damage your home during ice and snow storms.
25. Inspect your outdoor lights.
26. Inspect exterior walkways and repair safety problems.
27. Clean the gutters. Clogged gutters can create all sorts of damage such as water damage and bug damage.
28. Unhook the hoses from your outdoor pipes.
What other home maintenance tips for fall do you have to prevent future expenses?
Kelly
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