You might think that mild temperatures in Honolulu, HI prevent the need for a substantial list of winter maintenance on your home, but the change in seasons is always a good time to take stock of your home. By creating a checklist of items to handle when winter is coming, you can make sure that you don’t wake up and realize you’ve neglected important tasks for years, reducing the functionality of your home’s systems. Here is just one list of items that might be good to accomplish as winter approaches to create optimal upkeep on your home.
- Check batteries and replace old ones in all smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors.
- Change filters in your HVAC system if it has been a few months or if they are full.
- Check and test your fire extinguisher; if it is out of date or not functioning, replace it.
- Evaluate your gutters for signs of past damage and for clogs. Water damage is easy to miss if it occurs up near the roof line due to past gutter clogs and overflow.
- Walk around your home evaluating it for basic repair needs. Is there a window whose weatherstripping is coming undone that needs to be fixed? Has the jiggly doorknob been missing a screw for a while that needs to be replaced? This is even a good time to get that constantly-falling-down towel rack actually set so that it can hold towels.
- If you can take the time for it, do a deep-clean of basements or crawl spaces. Not only is this good for your ability to use these spaces effectively, but you may discover important elements of the space, including any hairline cracks in the foundation or water seepage that could be occurring.
- If any of your outlets aren’t working, consider having an electrician check on them or, if you have the skills and safety know-how, consider shutting off that breaker and repairing them. Electricity issues can be safety hazards, so having a specific time of year when you address them means you don’t go too long without handling the issue.
- A deep clean of the whole house is really a top priority at least twice a year, partially because it just makes a home nicer to live in and because it can uncover neglected spots in the home where you may have actual repairs or maintenance to handle. Get the whole family involved and see if you can’t teach kids about some basic repair skills along the way.
- Evaluate plumbing: from removing sediment from showerheads to checking and unclogging slow-flowing drains, your plumbing system is a place where small problems can progress to catastrophic failures. If you encounter an issue you don’t know how to fix, it is well worth it to just get a plumber’s opinion on the situation since they can often use scoping or other tools to evaluate the broader concerns.
While this list doesn’t address everything you could possibly maintain, handling these items at least yearly (and often more) can prepare you for a future home sale so that you are ready to present a well-maintained home to prospective buyers.