3 Ways to Properly Maintain Your New Home

Whether you have bought or are renting your new home; you’ve had it for one year or five years; properly maintaining your home is going to keep it consistently looking new and functioning well.

It may seem difficult to take care of some of the tasks associated with home owning, especially if you’re unfamiliar with areas such as the water heater, furnace or air conditioner. Although the help of a professional is often needed, there are still things you can do around your house to ensure that everything is working appropriately. Once you have taken these steps on your own, you can hire a professional to do any extra maintenance, if necessary.

Check the Roof

The roof of your home is crucially important to maintain to keep your house safe and prevent any damage from the interior of your home. If your roof has any missing shingles, leaks, holes or tears, it can cause wind damage, water damage and other debris that can make its way into your house, which will cost more to fix than replacing a few shingles.

You don’t have to be a professional to check your roof for these problems. Once you are up on top of your roof, be aware of where the problems are and consider whether you’re able to fix them on your own. A missing shingle or clearing off debris such as branches can easily be done on your own. If there is a hole or leak, a professional may be required.

Furnace Maintenance

Caring for your furnace is one way to ensure that it lasts as long as it’s supposed to. A furnace that is taken care of and properly maintained can last up to 25 years, even though their expected lifespans are only between 15 and 20 years.

Basic furnace maintenance can be done by anyone. Cleaning your furnace can be done by removing any debris that has landed on it and dusting off any dirt that can affect the components or get inside of your equipment.

If you're able to clean the blower and blower motor of your furnace, using an air hose to clean it out can help reduce the amount of dirt that can clog these items. You can also replace the air filter if you see that it is clogged or beyond cleaning.

Review the Kitchen Appliances

Since your kitchen is often used and rarely examined, taking a few minutes to look at each appliance will ensure that it continues working for a long time. It’s easy to forget that appliances like your refrigerator or dishwasher need cleaning and basic repairs, so be sure not to neglect these items during your home review.

Items like your dishwasher or microwave can simply be cleaned to ensure no particles are caught in anything. For example, a dishwasher may need the wheels of the drawers replaced or a microwave may need good vinegar cleaning to ensure that dirt and grime aren’t building up in the vent holes.

Items like your refrigerator can simply be checked over for small problems, such as dirty coils or poorly sealed doors. The coils are behind the refrigerator (or sometimes in the front behind the grill) and can be cleaned with a vacuum. Cleaning the seals on your doors will help reduce energy costs, but if that doesn't help, a professional may be needed to replace the seals.

There are many things around and on your home that you can continue to check and examine to ensure your house is running properly and looking fresh. You don’t have to be a plumber or an electrician to know when something is wrong, so be sure to do what you can before calling in a professional.

About the author: Mara Lund always goes around her house at least twice a year to ensure everything in her home is working properly. When there’s an issue, such as when the furnace stopped running last year, after she went through her checklist, she called Kayheating.com to check out the problem. She has found that generally, after going through her own steps, a professional is unnecessary unless it’s an emergency.

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