When we come home from a day at work or another week of travel, we just want to collapse and enjoy the serenity of our home environment. In lieu of watching that afternoon game, taking a restful nap, catching an evening movie night on the sofa, gathering family or friends together, getting away for a much needed vacation or weekend away, we find that another year has gone quickly and some of the good intentions we had for taking care of our home are still just that … good intentions. It can sure be easy to let a lot of things “go” around the house that need some attention … yes?
Filters and batteries to change, vents and coils to clean, nuts and bolts to tighten, and much more. Make a list of all the items in your home that should be cleaned, tightened, replaced, inspected, and maintained to be in top working order, and you’ll be surprised at the length of your list. And the list is getting longer in this high-tech world in which we live as our homes and businesses have more items that need maintenance than ever before. (Pause… dog is barking.)
Literally right here at this point typing this article, the appliance repair man arrived to check out our garage refrigerator that totally died. The other day it was working fine one minute, and then the next time the door was opened – nothing, no compressor, no fan, no lights, no nothing. There is no switch to turn it on or off, so I knew something was wrong (and yes, I checked the electrical outlet and breaker). After diagnosing it, the repairman just informed me that the main control board is dead. He also just said that the average life of newer refrigerators these days is 6-10 years. Guess how old my frig is? 6 years and 5 months old! And the one in our kitchen was manufactured in June 1992 – that’s 23½ years old … and still going strong! The newer frig has more electrical components that can go wrong and more expensive to fix. And my drain line was clogged up and filling the inside compartment with water. I didn’t know I needed to clean out the drain line … I do now! Okay… back to the point of this article!
Here’s an idea for you to begin this new year … set up an annual home maintenance calendar! Here are four simple steps to follow:
1. Determine what tasks need to be maintained – Go through the house and make a list of everything that needs to be done. Everyone’s home will be different. What specific filter(s), batteries, bulbs, and other items do you need?
2. Organize the tasks on the calendar and set reminders – How often does each item need to be done? Some items should be done once-a-year, others once a quarter, or some items every 2-3 years. You might want to change you’re A/C filters on the first of every month, every other month, or every quarter – mark it down or make a mental note. Change your smoke alarm batteries once a year on one of the time changes for Daylight Savings Time … you get the idea.
3. Take your list of items you need and buy them in advance – Buy your air and water filters, cleaners, softener salt, bulbs, batteries, and other items in advance, and keep them in your home parts inventory. You’ll be more likely to keep things better maintained if you already have the items. And you can save money by buying items in advance when you don’t need it, rather than when it’s needed.
4. Do it! – Don’t procrastinate! Many of the items that need to be done only take a few minutes each. You can get a lot done during the halftime of a football game.
Check out our website for a sample list of home maintenance tasks to add to your calendar – once a year, every six months, every quarter, every 1-2 months. These are just suggestions. Your home may need more, less, or different tasks to keep it in tip-top shape.
Hey parents … these items are a great teaching tool for your kids! Let them help you do the home maintenance. They’re going to be homeowners one day! And when you go to sell your home one day, you can pass this list on to the new buyers who will greatly appreciate it. It will show that you’re a better than average more conscientious home owner, and your home will have a stronger appeal to the new buyers.
Voila! Creating a home maintenance calendar at the beginning of the year in one sitting and one walk-through (with some revision) is a simple thing you can to that will make your home a better place in which to live all year round.
Stay well-maintained my friends … and Happy New Year to you!
