Spring Into The Warmer Weather With A Spring Home Maintenance Checklist

Spring Home Maintenance Checklist: Home Maintenance Tips For Your Spring Clean 

Depending on your feelings about the seasons, spring can be anything from the best or worst time of the year. Some people like the coming of flowers, birds, and other beautiful sights. Others are saddened that they must wait to engage in many of their favourite winter activities. Many people are happy the inconvenience of all the snow is gone, and the cold winter weather has been replaced with warmer temperatures. But part of the seasonal change involves getting some work done, which some people may be less than happy about. 

Regardless of how you feel about switching from the winter months to springtime, we want to help make the transition to warm weather easier for you. Our Morison Insurance team has created a spring home maintenance checklist with tips to help you prepare and get your house and property ready for spring. 

Prepping for spring brings feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction. You’re not rushing to get your outdoor furniture out or track down an air conditioning expert when it’s already warmer weather. By taking the time to check each item on our spring home maintenance checklist, your home and garden will be ready for the season. 

Why Is Spring Home Maintenance Important? 

Keeping your home in good shape with regular maintenance protects one of your largest financial investments—your home. A well-maintained home provides you with a nice place to live and, if you choose to sell in the future, may fetch a higher price because potential home buyers will see a property that has received regular upkeep and requires little work outside of routine maintenance. 

A well-maintained home is also a great way to manage the cost of home insurance premiums. For example, an insurance broker can get more competitive quotes with preferred rates if your roof is maintained, your furnace is less than 20 years old, and your plumbing and electrical services are current. That’s because a home that isn’t regularly maintained has a higher chance of suffering from issues like roof leaks, plumbing emergencies, and other scenarios that will require costly repair services for the resulting property damage. So it’s important to take the time to maintain your home and property to prevent potential problems from occurring. 

While it is important to take the time to take care of maintenance tasks throughout the year, when spring arrives, we’re often compelled to undertake a larger maintenance project. Spring is the perfect time for a good, solid clean-up, as after months of being cooped up indoors, we want to air out or freshen up our living spaces, and during the spring cleaning process, we also need to take the time to tackle less frequent home maintenance tasks around your home and conduct much-needed home repairs. 

If you follow our spring home maintenance checklist, you should be able to build and maintain the value of your home, while also making your day-to-day life more comfortable. 

Interior Spring Home Maintenance Checklist 

You might not think cleaning up indoors would be much of a priority when spring has sprung. After all, the snow from winter storms was (hopefully) all kept outdoors. However, a home takes a lot of maintenance, and no matter how much work you put into insulating your home, you’ll never fully be able to protect it from the elements, general wear and tear involved with having people living there, as well as the inevitable march of time. As a result, many items on your spring home maintenance checklist will be indoor work. 

Ensure the Fireplace Is Clean and Safe 

While it may seem silly to clean out your fireplace in the spring. After all, you might not be using it for months. However, leaving your fireplace to rot over several months can lead to several negative impacts when you start to use it again next year, so it’s essential to have this as an item on your spring home maintenance checklist. A dirty fireplace not only looks messy, but it can lead to an overabundance of smoke, the creation of carbon monoxide, or cause a fire. While the steps in cleaning a wood-burning, electric and gas fireplace are all different, you should consult the manual on how your fireplace is best cleaned. It is always best to remember you should wait until the fire has been out for at least an hour before you begin to clean it. 

Check the Basement for Moisture, Cracks, Leaks, or Pests 

Another item on your spring home maintenance checklist is checking your basement for signs of leaks, cracks, or moisture, as these are all signs of underlying issues you should address sooner rather than later. 

Moisture can weaken your walls, causing issues with the structural integrity of your home, and should be addressed promptly to prevent this issue from escalating. Additionally, cracks can often signify the presence of pests. Whether it be a rodent or two that dodged your traps or a swarm of insects that were able to get inside and get at your stuff, you now have some unwanted guests helping themselves to the snack in your cupboard when you’re asleep. Checking for signs of leakage, water stains, and other damage and filling in any holes should be your priorities. If you find any holes that you think pests might have used to get into different areas of your home and see signs of pests, your best option may be to contact a professional pest control company. 

Ensure Your HVAC System Works 

While you may have had your heating system serviced in the fall in preparation for the colder months ahead, there’s a lot more to your HVAC systems, meaning this entry on your spring home maintenance checklist will likely require a lot of steps. 

Unless you had an unusually warm winter, your air conditioner almost certainly hasn’t been used in the past few months, so it’s best you test it. You might not need it right away, but you don’t want to wait until it’s 30 degrees out before you notice that something’s wrong with it, especially if you don’t feel comfortable fixing it yourself and feel you should call a professional. 

Spring is also a great time to change the filters. Your dirty old air filters should be replaced every few months, and the beginning of spring is a great time to do so. Switching or cleaning out the filters can make the system run 5% more efficiently, which can also help you save on your hydro bill this coming summer. You’ll also want to dust off things like a ceiling fan and any other secondary device that assists in keeping your home cool.  

Test Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors 

Even though you’ve cleaned out your fireplace, there are other ways these dangerous substances can enter your home. Carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms should be tested regularly, and you should change the batteries if they are not working. This is often a simple step on your spring home maintenance checklist, but since it could be a life and death issue, you must pay attention to it. 

If you have any concerns about the state of your alarms, speak to your local fire department, as they may provide testing services and be able to advise you if you need to replace them as you tackle this item on your spring home maintenance checklist. 

Take Part in General Cleaning & Interior Maintenance 

While going the extra mile in dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping might seem like a routine enough task to most people, following a detailed spring cleaning checklist is an important part of your spring home maintenance checklist. Take the time to look in places you don’t usually look, move around furniture, and get into every nook and cranny and dust or vacuum up all the little pieces of debris. These little things add up fast, and if you’re not careful, it will seem as if the dust bunnies have started breeding under your couch. Don’t let spring cleaning fall by the wayside as you engage in the nitty-gritty. 

Remove Stuff You No Longer Use 

While you probably love all your possessions right when you get them, there might be some things you have that you don’t love anymore. Maybe you have an instrument or other hobby device that you haven’t touched in years. There may be some toys your kids have gotten too old for. There are probably a handful of things in the garage that you don’t need to have lying around anymore, waiting to get stepped on. Going through your spring home maintenance checklist, you’ve probably accumulated a pile of things you don’t use or no longer need, and it clutters up your home. Now is a perfect time to sell it in a garage sale or online marketplace, give it to friends and family, or donate it to someone who can use it. 

Replace Old Light Bulbs 

Let’s face it: they just don’t make some things like they used to. From electronics to bags, these days, stuff is meant to have a limited shelf life, so you must replace it. As a result, you’ll have to switch out your old, burnt-out lightbulbs for fresher, newer ones. Going through your spring home maintenance checklist gives you an excuse to go out and buy a bunch of new, energy-efficient light bulbs, replacing your old ones all at once, especially in frequently used lights. It’s also recommended that you buy a few extra bulbs to have on hand, just in case some burn out throughout the year. 

Exterior Spring Home Maintenance Checklist 

Take a walk around your property in early spring. Look around, consider and assess the condition of your home’s exterior. Are your roof shingles curling? Is the backyard fence sagging, or does it need a new stain or paint? Just like the inside of your home needs special attention, your outdoor living space can do with a little TLC come spring following months of snow and less use. Below are some exterior spring home maintenance checklist items to consider when giving your property the care and attention it deserves now that warmer weather is arriving. 

Inspect for Damage to the Roof and Chimney 

These are some of the least obvious things on your spring home maintenance checklist since they’re not at eye level. However, taking care of these yearly would be best so the damage doesn’t build up over time. 

This is especially true after winter, as there is a good chance that your roof has been holding up snow and ice for a large amount of time or has taken lots of heavy wind. A single shingle being out of place can cause leaks in your home the next time it rains, and unless you’re a roofing expert, it’s almost impossible to tell which missing shingles are most critical. You can stand outside your home and conduct a visual examination of your roof and roofline to look for missing roof tiles or shingles and see if you can spot any areas of concern, or, if you have the ability to, go into your attic space to see if you can spot signs of water leaks or other roofing issues. If you are unable to or don’t know what to look for, a roofing professional will be able to let you know if there are any concerns you need to address for this item on your spring home maintenance checklist. 

Your chimney might have had a similar strain on it if you were using your fireplace a lot during winter, and it has plenty of the same dangers mentioned earlier when discussing dirty fireplaces. Roofs and chimneys have specialized professionals who can handle them, meaning that if you spot a problem, there’s no reason to feel pressured to fix it yourself if you don’t know how. 

Fix Tears and Holes in Screen Windows and Doors 

A screen door can be a great addition to a home. It can let in plenty of fresh air and provide a great view while keeping out bugs. However, it can’t do that last part if there are rips, holes and tears, so fixing any tears is an important item on your spring home maintenance checklist. These tears can be barely noticeable; even a small one can let in many insects. There are plenty of simple ways to fix a screen door that’s been damaged, meaning that this fix could very well be a simple one. 

The same goes for window screens. As you likely haven’t used your windows all winter long, they can probably do with a good cleaning and check-over to ensure they are in good condition. Window screens are removable and can be easily washed in your shower. However, if there are any holes or places where the screen has come away from the edge, it’s best to conduct screen repair or replace it before moving on with your spring home maintenance checklist. 

Clean Your Outdoor Air Conditioning Unit  

With many large components of your HVAC system, such as your furnace, vents, ducts, and thermostat indoors, it’s understandable to overlook that the machine that controls your air conditioning system is outdoors. This can leave it exposed to the elements, which is especially bad at the end of fall or during winter. So before the truly hot temperatures set in, take off the AC cover and clean your AC unit and the area around it as part of your spring home maintenance checklist. 

 While a tarp cover may help to prevent the majority of winter debris from impacting your unit, some things can still get through, even if you take steps to cover up or otherwise protect the unit. Falling leaves, snow, dirt, dust, mud, ice, stones, insects and many other things can get all over the unit, clogging it up and causing issues with your cooling system. A clogged-up air conditioner will run less efficiently, increasing your power bill, and might even stop running entirely. Getting it fixed later or wholly replaced is much more expensive and time-consuming than getting to work and conducting a simple cleaning every year. Cleaning it as part of your spring home maintenance checklist will lower your hydro bill this summer and could also save you the possible hassle of calling a pro to repair it and prevent you from having to deal with braving part of summer without air conditioning. 

Repair, Seal, and Paint Wood 

Plenty of things you own and keep outdoors might be wooden. This includes your deck, fence, chairs, tables, etc. These wood features can be beautiful, but they can each be prone to damage if not properly maintained. While you can perform simple repairs on your own and are encouraged to do so if you can, what’s even better is to prevent this from happening in the first place. You can, however, drastically reduce the chances of this and the amount of potential damage that can be done by making protecting your wood elements part of your spring home maintenance checklist. 

Sealing the wood can act as a layer of defence to help protect it from water damage, stains, and general wear and tear. Sometimes, using a simple sealant designed to do this will be adequate since all you want to do is provide some protection. Other times, you’ll want to paint over it, which provides you with all the same benefits and can provide a fresh new aesthetic to your yard, which can be nice if you want to change things up slightly or improve your curb appeal. 

This item on your spring home maintenance checklist can be fun if you let it. If you choose to paint, you can choose the colour(s) you want, allowing you to make a small change or a more dramatic one to make your home feel truly yours. 

Clear Your Gutters and Downspouts 

If anything was left in your gutters before the winter, it’s going to be left there afterward. Leaves, twigs, stones and other general debris left there before winter will remain in the spring. It’s also possible that other stuff has transformed in a sense. Dirt, for example, may have turned to mud after being exposed to snow and ice for so long and can form a blockage in your gutter system. Clogged gutters and downspouts can cause pest infestations, flooding, roof damage, and water damage to your home and property, resulting in extensive repair or replacement services. Additionally, a home with clogged gutters could be less appealing aesthetically compared to one with clean gutters. Doing a little work now will save you from having to make costly repairs later, making this an important item on your spring home maintenance checklist.  

Cleaning gutters is often a messy and time-consuming process, often involving you climbing onto a ladder and working at a significant height. If you do not have the tools to properly perform this task or are uncomfortable with height, don’t skip this item on your spring home maintenance checklist: hire a professional to take care of it for you. 

Consider Redoing Your Driveway  

Yet another part of your home that can get damaged by winter weather is your driveway. Whether your home’s driveway is made from asphalt, gravel, or concrete, the below-freezing temperatures can cause it to retract, and the constant ice and scrapping from snow removal equipment can weaken it, causing damage. 

A damaged driveway can have potholes, cracks, and other damage. These have the noticeable impact of damaging your vehicle’s tires, as well as damaging its suspension. Cracks and potholes look bad and can lead to weeds, which furthers the lack of curb appeal for your home and property. If things aren’t that bad, you can check this off your spring home maintenance checklist after you clean debris off your driveway. However, if your driveway is getting out of control, and you don’t know how to properly fix something, you can always schedule repairs from pros. 

Double-Check Your Outdoor Faucets and Sprinklers 

This item on your spring home maintenance checklist is essential for those who place a high value on gardening or value their lawn. However, even if this isn’t you, it would be wise not to overlook this step. Run your faucets to ensure they work, and check your garden hoses for cracks. If you plan on using your sprinkler system to water the lawn, make sure that each of your sprinkler heads is in working order. It’s best to replace them now instead of when, a couple of months down the line, you would need an immediate fix. 

Maintain Your Landscaping 

While your garden was dormant during the winter, as the ground thaws and grilling season approaches, it’s time to remove debris and get your yard prepared for the growing season ahead by including yard maintenance as part of your spring home maintenance checklist. 

Things such as checking and correcting soil pH and nutrient levels, removing garbage from flower beds, trimming tree branches and shrubs away from the house, and fertilizing can greatly improve the health of your garden, giving you a more appealing yard to enjoy that’s free from winter damage. Whether your yard is used as an occasional hangout space, is home to an extensive garden, or is the perfect place for kids to run around, getting a jump on your yard clean-up as part of your spring home maintenance checklist will ensure it functions the way you need it to, and you don’t have to worry about dead branches or yard debris preventing you from enjoying it properly. 

It is also a good idea, once plants have come up, to take pictures of your garden every year as part of your spring home maintenance checklist, as it allows you to check and see where any gaps are in your garden and if any plants did not make it through the winter, so you can replace or change your garden as needed. 

Don’t Forget to Enjoy The Spring Weather! 

Although there are plenty of items on your spring home maintenance checklist, it’s important to remember that there’s now a lot of work that you no longer have to do. You don’t need to shovel snow after any precipitation, brush off your car before every drive, or add salt and sand to your driveway yet again. This added time gives you an opportunity to get your home ready for warmer weather.