Regular home maintenance is not only a way to improve your home’s presentability, but it also helps to keep your family safe. After all, a poorly maintained home can quickly become a hazardous home.
With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to keep your home in top condition moving forward!
Carry out regular property inspections.
Some maintenance issues, such as leaking pipes, are glaringly obvious, and others may go undetected for some time, causing significant damage to your property in the process. For example, if you use your attic as storage space, you may not notice any damp or mould build-up in this area, which, over time, can cause structural damage to your property while also putting your family’s health at risk.
In order to combat this, you should carry out monthly inspections of your property. This way, you’re able to address any maintenance issues promptly and without delay. Not only does this reduce any damages caused, but it often allows you to find more cost-effective solutions, too.
Take preventive measures.
Taking preventative measures to properly protect your home can reduce the need to carry out any maintenance work. For example, if you live in an area where bad weather is all too common, it’s important that you prepare for these challenges, such as by installing high-impact windows to protect your home against high winds and stormy weather.
On a similar note, you may wish to purchase home or property insurance. This can help you to cover the cost of any necessary repairs or maintenance tasks as they arise, without having to pay entirely out of pocket.
Fix your roof.
When it comes to keeping their home in order, many people choose to focus on interior maintenance tasks. While this is a good place to start, it’s crucial that you show your home’s exterior some love, too – especially when it comes to your roof.
After all, your roof is your home’s first defence against the elements, which means even the smallest issue, such as missing shingle or tile, can lead to numerous issues within your property. For example, this could serve as an entryway for pests and vermin or leave you vulnerable to flooding and water damage.
As such, roof repair should be considered a priority moving forward, though you should always be sure to stay safe when doing roof repairs (or working at height).
Hire the experts.
While there are many home maintenance tasks that you’ll be able to carry out yourself, sometimes the help and support of experts is a necessity. After all, some tasks, such as underground service locating, require the use of specialists and equipment and tools – meaning you would be able to carry out tasks, such as locating pipes to deal with plumbing issues – without them.
Furthermore, hiring the experts means that you can rest easy knowing any issues within your property will be resolved quickly and efficiently, something that isn’t always the case when taking a DIY approach.
Clean out your gutters.
Cleaning out your gutters is another essential home maintenance task that you should add to your to-do list moving forward. While it may seem a tad laborious, failing to remove leaves, sticks and other forms of debris from your gutters, can help to prevent lasting damage to your property. If this issue is not properly addressed, the piping could crack and splinter, or the pipes could become clogged.
Budget for home maintenance.
Home maintenance can quickly get expensive, which is why it is important that you factor these costs and expenses into your annual budget. In Australia, it is typically advised that you spend “approximately 1% of the property’s value each year on maintenance and repairs.”
While you may not necessarily spend this amount, having it set aside is essential. This way, you aren’t scrambling to pull money together in an emergency scenario, and you’re able to resolve issues as quickly as possible.
Seal any gaps in doors and window frames.
Over the years, small gaps may begin to fall between your window and doorframes. This is caused by your home’s foundation “settling.” While they will likely remain rather minuscule in size, it’s crucial that you fill or seal them as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you are allowing hot air to escape your home and cold air to enter.
Not only could this make for an uncomfortable living experience during the winter months, but it could also mean that you are spending far more than is necessary on your heating bill.
Thankfully, sealing any gaps in your windows and door frames is a relatively simple task. In fact, you can buy sealant online and have it delivered directly to your door!
Deep clean your home.
Deep cleaning your home is another excellent way to keep your home in good condition. After all, during a deep cleaning of your property, you may stumble across maintenance issues that you were previously unaware of. In addition to this, regular cleaning helps you to maintain a clean, hazard-free home environment.
For example, it can help you to maintain a living space that is free from clutter. After all, while a bit of clutter here and there may not seem to be a pressing issue, various studies have found that clutter can have an increasingly negative influence on both your mind and body. In fact, a recent study found that a “cluttered bedroom will not only affect how fast you fall asleep – but also the quality of your sleep.”
Share the workload.
When it comes to effective home maintenance, it is important that you share the workload with everyone who lives in your home, as opposed to trying to do everything yourself. This allows you to ensure that every maintenance task is ticked off your to-do list without overburdening or overworking yourself.
This could also be a great way to introduce chores to your children, though you should only encourage them to carry out simpler tasks, such as dusting and vacuuming.
Photo by Roselyn Tirado on Unsplash
