Spring Home Maintenance: The Ultimate Guide

The ultimate guide for doing home maintenance in every area of the house keep their homes in perfect shape for the spring season. Includes a free checklist!
Spring Home Maintenance: The Ultimate Guide

The birds are chirping and the sun is shining, and homeowners know what that means: It’s spring home maintenance time!

Spring is the perfect time to do some of the jobs and tasks that will keep your home well-maintained, and whether you’re a new homeowner or a veteran at spring cleaning, this guide will help you get everything done.

Read on to learn all about spring home maintenance: Why it’s so important, some expert tips, and our Ultimate Spring Home Maintenance Checklist, which will help you get every task wrapped up before summer is here.

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Why Spring Home Maintenance Is Important

Ultimate Spring Home Maintenance Checklist

Spring Maintenance Outside Your Home

Spring Maintenance Inside Your Home

Spring Cleaning and Organization

Other Spring Home Maintenance Tasks

The Importance of Spring Home Maintenance

Spring is the perfect time to tackle many important home maintenance tasks. Why? There are a few reasons:

  • Spring is the best time to clean up any winter debris around your home. Precipitation, wind, and cold temperatures that come with winter can make messes on your property, and spring is the perfect time to clean them up.
  • With lengthening days and warming weather, some tasks are possible in spring that weren’t possible during the darker, colder days of winter.
  • Spring home maintenance will help you prepare your home and yard for the summer to come.

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Ultimate Spring Home Maintenance Checklist

Ready to get started getting your home ready for the spring and summer ahead? This ultimate checklist includes everything you need to do to get your home into top shape this spring.

Download our Ultimate Spring Home Maintenance Checklist.

Spring maintenance outside your home

Spring maintenance outside your home

Much of spring maintenance happens outside, to clean up from winter and get your property ready for summer.

Check for signs of termites

Termites tend to flock in the springtime, so first things first: Check your home carefully for any signs of these pests. If you see winged insects flying in and out of holes in any wood on your property, that’s a good sign of termites, and you should call a pest control company to check it out. Throughout spring, as you’re checking off the items on this checklist, remember to keep an eye out for termites, which tend to be active between March and May.

Inspect and clean the roof

If there’s any winter debris, like leaves or fallen branches, on the roof, now is the time to get up there and clean it off. While you’re at it, inspect the entire roof for signs of aging or damage, like missing shingles, damaged metal, or anything else that might require a professional roof inspection.

Inspect and clean gutters and downspouts

Now that winter weather has passed, it’s a good time to clean out your gutters and downspouts. You can climb up on a ladder to clean them by hand, or use a leaf blower or shop vac with an attachment to reach them. Make sure to flush the gutters with a hose and see that water is running freely, and that water that comes out of your downspouts is draining away from your home.

Trim trees and shrubs

If any trees or shrubs on your property (especially close to your home) need a trim, now is the time to do that before warm weather and sunlight cause them to grow even more.

Clean the windows

Grab a bucket and a squeegee and get all the winter grime off your home’s exterior windows. If you have extremely tall or high windows you can’t get to, you may look into hiring a professional window cleaner.

Inspect doors and windows

Check all your doors and windows for signs of wood rot, mold, or leaking. If needed, replace them, or re-caulk around their edges to give them a better seal against the elements.

Check for wood rot

Anywhere else on your property where you have wood should be carefully inspected for wood rot — window sills, siding, decks, railings, fencing, and stairs, just to name a few. If you discover any signs of rot, evaluate the extent of it — you may need to replace the wood altogether, or it just may need to be stained or sealed.

Inspect fencing

Walk any fencing on your property and check it for cracks, holes, or other damage.

Pressure wash exterior areas

Now that winter is over, it’s time to wash away the grime of cold, wet days. Use a pressure washer to thoroughly clean the exterior areas of your home, including soffits, siding, patios, decks, and driveways. You can also use a pressure washer to quickly clean outdoor furniture so it’s ready for the upcoming summer season.

Check and touch up exterior paint

Check your home’s exterior for any places where the paint is fading, peeling or chipping, and touch it up as needed.

Reseal your deck and driveway

With summer on the way, now is the time to get your deck and driveway ready for heavy use and hot weather. Re-stain or re-seal your deck using appropriate products for the wood or material it’s made from. If your driveway has any cracks, fill them and then seal the entire driveway to add another layer of protection.

Inspect the sprinkler system

During winter, it’s possible that your sprinkler system could have become damaged. After de-winterizing, turn on the system and walk your property to inspect it. Look for broken or damaged heads, and adjust any heads that are spraying toward your home or windows, driveway, porch, or sidewalk.

Inspect and tune up tools and equipment

Any tools or lawn maintenance equipment that’s going to be used during the summer needs to be inspected and, if necessary, tuned up. Sharpen blades, change oil, change out old gas, charge batteries, and whatever else needs to be done to properly maintain the tools you use.

Start mosquito control early

Mosquitos breed in standing water, so early spring is a good time to inspect your property and remove any potential breeding spots like puddles, buckets, or old tires. If you have something like a bird bath on your property, remember to clean it and change the water frequently so it doesn’t become a place for mosquitoes to breed.

Start your landscaping projects

Once you’re confident the last winter freeze has passed in your area, you can start any outdoor landscaping projects you’ve had planned for spring and summer, such as seeding new grass, planting shrubs or flowers, or building raised garden beds for the season.

Spring maintenance inside your home

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Spring maintenance inside your home

Once your home’s exterior is clean and well-maintained, there are more spring home maintenance tasks you can do inside.

Inspect your HVAC system

To get ready for days when running the AC will be necessary, check your home’s HVAC system. This is also a good time to change your furnace filter and any other air filters in the system.

Check your washing machine fill hose

While cleaning a load of laundry, carefully check your washing machine’s fill hose for damage or leaks. If you see any problems, replace the hose now before a leak can cause costly water damage.

Clean your dryer vent hose

Now is also the time to disconnect your dryer vent and give it a good cleaning. This is important to do regularly, as built up lint and dirt in a dryer vent is a common fire hazard.

Clean and repair your window screens

If you have storm windows, remove them and replace them with screens. If your window screens have been up all winter, remove them so they can be thoroughly cleaned (use a bucket of soapy water and a hose in the backyard for best results). While you’re cleaning and installing the screens, check them for damage, and patch any holes that might let pests into your home.

Check your home for moisture

Now that winter snow is melting, it’s a great time to check your home for seeping moisture that could cause costly damage if left untreated. Check the attic for wet spots in the walls, ceiling, or insulation. Walk the perimeter of the basement to check for leaks or standing water. And if you have central air conditioning, inspect that system for any leaks that might cause water damage to the AC unit or your home.

Inspect your air ducts

Air ducts are great at collecting dust, so now is a good time to open them up and wipe them down. While doing so, inspect them with a flashlight, looking for things like mold, allergens, or blockages. If you suspect a problem but can’t see far enough to confirm, you may want to schedule a professional inspection.

Inspect your sump pump

Sump pumps need to be checked regularly to make sure they’re in working order. Inspect yours in spring, and clear away any debris in the pump that might cause damage or keep it from working properly.

Check all your detectors

Check all the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home. Dust them and check and change their batteries, if needed. Perform tests to make sure they’re in working order.

Inspect and clean the chimney

Now that winter is over and you’re less likely to need to use your fireplace, it’s a good time to clean your chimney. While you’re at it, inspect for any cracks or damage, and clean thoroughly so it will be ready to go when you need it next fall or winter.

Check fire extinguishers

Finally, as you get your home ready for summer, this is a good time to do a routine check of any fire extinguishers you have. Make sure they’re not past their expiration date, and replace them if they are. Also make sure they’re clean, and in a place where they’re easily accessible if you ever need them.

Spring cleaning and organization

Spring cleaning and organization

There’s a reason spring cleaning is such a popular tradition — spring is the perfect time to tackle some cleaning and organization projects, too.

Air out your home

Once the weather becomes nice, open up windows and doors and air out your home. This will help get air circulating and shake out any staleness leftover from winter. Plus, it will make your home feel fresh.

Change the direction of your ceiling fans

During the winter, your ceiling fan should spin clockwise, gently pushing down the warm air that tends to rise up near the ceiling. But in the spring, you should change the direction to counter-clockwise, so the fan will create a cool breeze when it’s turned on. Your fan may have a switch on the base to change the direction, or you may need to manually adjust the tilt of the blades.

Dust in forgotten places

An important part of spring cleaning is dusting all the nooks and crannies that often get neglected during routine cleaning: The tops of your ceiling fan blades, chair rails, window casings, and the tops of your cabinets, to name a few. Search your home for forgotten spots, and give them a good clean.

Clean your kitchen exhaust hood

Your kitchen exhaust hood collects grime throughout the year, and spring is a great time to thoroughly clean it.

Vacuum your fridge coils

The electrical coils at the back of your fridge are dust magnets, so spring is a good time to pull the fridge out from the wall and vacuum them until they’re dust-free. This removes a fire hazard, and will help keep your fridge running for years to come.

Clean the garage

During the cold winter months, it’s easy for items to pile up in the garage, where they’re out of the elements. Now is a great time to go through the garage and clean and organize. Since the weather is warming up, consider a yard sale to declutter unneeded items.

Clean and prep the grill

Summer grilling season is just around the corner. That means now is the time to clean and prep your grill, including stocking up on fuel and other necessities you’ll need to have on hand when it’s time to cook out.

More spring cleaning tips

Ready to get your home completely clean and ready for summer? Our Ultimate Spring Cleaning Guide is the resource you need.

Other spring home maintenance tasks

You’re close to having a home that’s completely ready for spring and summer. Consider these spring home maintenance tasks to be the final touches.

Schedule any needed maintenance or inspections

If any part of your home needs repairs or maintenance, schedule that now. Additionally, if you need any inspections to ensure your home is in good shape, this is the time to do them. This can include a deck inspection, HVAC inspection, or your annual septic tank inspection. If your water heater is more than five years old, it’s time to have it inspected. And an energy efficiency inspection is a good consideration for all homeowners — not only is it good for the environment, but upping your home’s energy efficiency will help you save on utility bills.

Tackle home improvement projects

If you have any home improvement projects you’d like to get done, start them now. That gives you plenty of time with nice weather to finish before next winter sets in.

Declutter and organize your home

Once spring cleaning is done, you may want to go a step further — decluttering and reorganizing your home. This is a great time for decluttering, since summer is the season for yard sales.

Finish Spring Cleaning with Neighbor

Congratulations on getting your home in great shape for the warmer months ahead!

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