Home maintenance is a delicate but important task. It is easy to overlook certain aspects of home maintenance every day. But soon enough, this stretches into months and can lead to your home falling to disrepair or depreciating value. This is why it is extremely important to have a yearly home care routine or checklist, which you should try to follow. Experts advise that each year, you should spend at least three percent of your home’s value on home repair and maintenance. What you should do with it varies from place to place, depending on the weather and climate. But in general, these are some steps that you should take each year:
Checking for signs of damage
Each year, you should check your entire house for signs of damage, starting from the foundation. Signs of damage in the foundation include cracks, unevenness, and unusual sagging. You should also check the walls for water damage, which would include tell-tale signs such as discoloration, mold, sagging and swelling, as well as sponginess in the wall and floors. Next, you should check for signs of damage in the wooden structures that support your outdoor fixtures such as porches and staircases. They should be free of horizontal cracks and any sign of structural weakness such as softness or sag. The roof needs to be checked for signs, such as tiles coming loose, as they will lead to a leak and, eventually, water damage.
A thorough cleaning
Your house needs a thorough cleaning every year, both inside and out. This is to prevent any toxic or microbial buildups such as mold. The inside should be vacuumed, disinfected, and cleaned. Clean the outside and prevent any buildups that can leave a permanent stain. Summer is a good season to clean the exterior. Power washing companies in Raleigh can help you clean the exterior with a combination of high-pressure water pipes and industrial cleaning solutions, which will clear up the dirt from hard-to-reach places without leaving any damage.
Polishing up on paint and furniture
Although you need to paint the whole exterior of your house only once every four years and perhaps longer depending on the quality of your paint job, it is necessary that you polish up on the varnish and furniture once every year. Any wood paneling should be waxed and polished, and the outside paint should also be cleaned to make it look as though its gleaming.
Exterminating any pests
There are many options for extermination and pest removal. You can pick anywhere from once every three months to once a year for a scheduled extermination. It is recommended that you get an exterminator to deal with rats, termites, and moth infestations at least once a year. If you do a thorough extermination once a year, then simple house cleaning is enough to prevent reinfestation.
The purpose of yearly maintenance is to nip serious issues in the bud. By following these rules of thumb, you can prevent your home from developing serious issues that require you to make bigger payments.