After a chilly winter in Charleston, Spring has (finally) arrived! The wonderful season of longer days, blooming flowers and, unfortunately, “spring cleaning,” which also requires homeowners to take care of the hardships that winter put their home through. Follow our guide to key home maintenance tasks to tackle this spring to get your home in tip-top shape for the warmer months ahead.
Clean gutters and downspouts. During the fall and winter, leaves may have built up in your gutters and downspouts causing them to get clogged, putting extra weight on them. This debris keeps gutters and downspouts from doing their job – diverting rain water away from your foundation. Keeping these areas clean will help prevent high cost repairs such as moisture and mildew problems, rotting wood and the need to replace your gutters and downspouts. If you don’t feel safe climbing on a ladder and completing this job yourself, it pays to hire a professional. Don’t let April showers bring any extra repairs, only May flowers.
Perform routine home safety checks. It’s important to make sure safety and emergency features are working properly throughout the year. These items can be easy to forget about since we may not use them often. While checking off items on your spring home maintenance checklist be sure to change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, check fire extinguishers to make sure the needle is in the green zone and make sure your exhaust fans are working well. These items give homeowners peace of mind and can save lives.
Service HVAC systems. Hot summer days will be here before we know it, so it’s a great time to have a professional service your HVAC system. During the fall and winter, your unit may be overworked and can also get clogged with debris. A professional can remove any debris obstructing the unit, replace old air filters, clean the coils and evaluate the drip pan.
Check screens and windows. While spring cleaning your home, make sure to give your windows and glass doors a thorough cleaning. This is also a good time to make sure your windows are opening and closing properly and that internal and external window seals are in place to prevent drafts of air and water intrusion. Check window and door screens as well to make sure there are no holes where bugs can crawl in. Properly functioning windows are necessary for safety and comfort in all seasons.
Pest control. With the seasonal shift, warmer weather marks the return for unwanted pests ready to emerge from hiding. While some pests and insects are around all year, others are more active when the weather starts to warm up. To prevent these unwanted house guests from nesting and breeding in your home, call a professional pest control service to come out and inspect and treat in and around your home.
Regular home maintenance improves your home’s comfort and can help avoid unexpected damages. Now that you’ve checked these items off of your home maintenance checklist, all there’s left to do to get ready for Spring in Charleston is to revamp your flower beds, window boxes and enjoy the beautiful weather on your porch.
If you’re thinking of selling your home this Spring, William Means agents are dedicated to providing knowledgeable service throughout the entire process. Happy Spring!
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