10 SPRING HOME INTERIOR MAINTENANCE TIPS
- Replace your furnace/AC air filter; set up an ongoing schedule to replace on a monthly or bi monthly schedule. Maintaining a clean filter is a sure way to extend the life of your furnace/ AC unit, reduce energy cost and reduce household dust and pollen.
- Inspect appliance & light fixture cords and extension cords for frayed wires or exposed wiring. Replace any suspicious cords.
- Inspect/clean your fireplace; have your chimney professionally inspected.
- Test your central A/C unit and thermostat for proper operation BEFORE the HOT summer days arrive.
- Check your clothes dryer vent for broken connections or leaks, clean out the dryer vent pipe. A blocked dryer vent is a potential cause of house fires.
- Check your clothes washer water connections, inspect for warn washers & cracked hoses; consider replacing the old rubber hoses with new stainless steel hoses. The stainless steel hose will minimize the chance one of the hoses will burst while you are away on vacation. This is a horrendous mess to clean up even if you are at home when the hose breaks, just imagine if you were not there for a week.
- Vacuum refrigerator cooling coils, so your refrigerator can cool more effectively, reduce your energy costs and may extend the life of you appliance.
- Drain you water heater to remove sediment; inspect the pressure relief valve for proper operation. This could help to extend the life of your water heater.
- Inspect exposed pipes and drains in basement for leaks.
- Test all smoke detectors and CO detector alarms; replace batteries. Even if you think the batteries may last a little longer, the peace of mind having fresh batteries in your smoke detectors compensate for the cost of new batteries.