Spring Maintenance Tips Part One: Inside Your Home

The industrious spirit seems to perk up each year as spring shakes off the yoke of cold, gloomy weather. While you may have some big projects to tackle, don’t neglect these essential maintenance tips that will keep your house in great shape year after year.

Spring Cleaning

• Give the neglected areas of your home a good scrub. Think about the last time you disinfected the kitchen and bathroom trash cans, swept behind the washer and dryer, or washed the shower curtain—you don’t want to be putting this off for another season.

• Remove unwanted junk from your home. From the piles of old paperwork in the office to the old furniture and the clothes you wouldn’t dream of wearing again, spring is a great time to declutter. If you need extra assistance, a junk removal service can haul and dispose of your unwanted goods, even recycling or repurposing many items that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

• Clean carpet and upholstery. While you should be regularly vacuuming to extend the life of your carpet, make professional cleaning at least an annual habit, particularly if your carpet is under warranty, as many carpet manufacturers require routine professional care.

• Deep clean any tile grout and inspect other stone surfaces, which may need to be resealed or restored by a stone care professional after years of use.

• Clean air ducts and dryer vents. Hidden out of sight, ductwork accumulates dust and debris, which can exacerbate problems with indoor air quality and HVAC efficiency.

Preparing for Warmer Weather

• Take steps to reduce the strain on your air conditioning system, such as shutting off registers in unoccupied or unused rooms, installing additional ceiling fans, or hanging drapes or shutters over older, inefficient windows.

• Schedule an inspection of your air conditioning equipment. Routine maintenance can improve the efficiency of your equipment, prevent costly breakdowns, and extend the life of your system.

• Inspect your ductwork for air leaks. The most sophisticated forced-air HVAC equipment on the market will do a poor job of cooling your home if you have leaky ductwork. In fact, ENERGY STAR estimates that the average home loses 20 percent of conditioned air through damaged or poorly sealed ductwork.

• Give your sluggish HVAC system a breather by changing or cleaning the air filters. A buildup of particles on the filter (and eventually the coils) will reduce the efficiency of your system. Many filters need to be changed or cleaned monthly during the busy heating and cooling seasons.

• Set ceiling fan blades to run counterclockwise, which will generate a cool, downward breeze.

By devoting adequate time and enlisting the help of a professional whenever possible, you can easily tackle even the most daunting spring cleaning to-do lists. Check back on our blog tomorrow for essential upkeep on your home’s exterior.