5 Home Maintenance Resolutions to Keep This Year!

Start the year off on the right foot by giving your home maintenance projects top priority! How? By making a list of monthly to-dos and tackle them one at a time. Then, you won’t lose track of the home maintenance projects you want to get accomplished this year.

Not sure what home maintenance items should be on your list?

Here are 5 home maintenance resolutions to keep this year.

They are simple to do, minimal cost, and can help you save big money on costlier repairs down the road. So, if you’re getting cabin fever this winter, get to work and give your home some TLC!

1) Apply Fresh Paint

2) Protect Entryway Floors

The elements of nature can wreak havoc on your entryway floors, including rain, snow, mud, and ice. Moisture and muck not only looks awful, it can destroy hardwood floors over time, leading to costly repairs.

So, how do you protect your floors from the mess? Place mats both inside and outside the door, along with boot trays inside the entryway. It will help if your mudroom is organized and ready with a place to dry wet jackets, hats, mittens and gloves.

3) Get Ahead of Ice Dams

Ice dams form when the edges of a house’s roof is colder than the rest of the roof, causing ice to form around the eaves. Snow melts above, and the melted snow backs up behind a “dam” of ice, potentially causing leaks and permanent damage to the roof and home — if you’ve ever experienced an ice dam on your roof-line, you know what a nightmare it can be!

Here’s what Houzz.com recommends if you notice the beginnings of an ice dam:

1. Carefully remove snow and ice if possible without damaging roof and gutters.
2. If you have heat cables, turn them on. Heat cables cannot prevent or fully remove ice dams, but can melt enough of the ice to create a channel for water to flow out, preventing some damage.

4) Maintain Your Hot Water Tank

Yearly maintenance of your hot water tank can improve performance, meaning more hot water when you need it, and less waiting for hot water to replenish. It can also help prevent expensive repairs (or even replacement) later.

Flush your hot water tank to remove sediment to save on the cost of replacing the entire hot water tank down the road. You can also wrap an older hot water tank with an insulating blanket to help conserve energy (and save you money). And these blankets prevent hot water heaters from losing heat in cold rooms and closets.

5) Keep Driveways and Walkways Clear of Snow & Ice

Keeping your driveway and walkways clear from snow and ice accumulation from each winter storm serves a dual-purpose. It prevents slips and falls, and allows for easy access by vehicles. But it also prevents excess moisture from seeping into the small cracks of your driveway or walkway and doing greater damage when it expands into ice. This moisture could potentially cause damage, resulting the need to repave your driveway or walkway prematurely.

Try removing the snow with easy-push shovels to save your back from strain (check out shovels, snow and ice removal tools available at GNH). Then add a sprinkle of salt or ice-melt to help the moisture evaporate when the sunshine returns.

 

 

 

 

As you go about maintaining your home and property, don’t forget that our expert team is happy answer your questions, offer guidance and provide time-saving tips!

 

Sources: “27 Tasks for Your Winter Home Maintenance Checklist”, FamilyHandyMan.com; “Your Winter Home Maintenance Checklist”, Houzz.com.