House maintenance tasks

There are several house maintenance tasks that need attention before you step into fall season. Completing these tasks by end of summer is better as you don’t need to worry about freezing, cold conditions to finish tasks. The 6 house maintenance tasks to complete this summer listed below are the ones that tend to forget most.

1. Clean brooms and dustpans:

Many of us use and just give rinse to brooms and put inside closet. It is a good idea to clean the brooms and put them out in bright, hot sunlight for drying. Add few drops of detergent for bucket of water and soak broom and dust pan in the soap water. Leave it for half an hour, rinse in water and dry them.

2. Clean dryer vent:

Generally, we take precautions to clean laundry lint trap. But cleaning dryer vent is also critical once a while. If not, dirt and lint trapped in lint will overheat can burn clothes and can start a fire. Use a flat vacuum and clean out dryer vent duct.

3. Refrigerator coils:

Either behind or bottom of refrigerator unit one can notice refrigerator coil. While we clean inside and outside refrigerator, we forget about this one part to include in our cleaning schedule. Most time, pets hair, dust, grease will settle on the coil making it less efficient and coil will start exerting more. Unplug and use a vacuum hose to remove dirt from coil and clean coil surface with soap water and dry off with cloth before plugging in it again.

4. Smoke detectors:

Test smoke detectors for beep. Light 2-3 matches blow and hold under the detector to see whether smoke drifts towards detector. If the detector makes sound, then you know it is working. If not, check the batteries.

5. Air conditioning unit:

Instead of waiting for next summer, clean the air filters and keep it clog and dirt free. Replace the filters. If it is an outdoor unit remove any weeds and grass grown around it. This cleaning helps air conditioner to run without fail next season.

6. Heating system:

Make use of your free time to investigate one more unit. Check heating system air filter and replace it if needed. Remove dust around heating unit.  Contact your local utility company to check gas heater or furnace to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

Does your family members know where the main controls of following units? If not, let the family members know where the controls for,

• Heating fuel main shutoff
• Main electrical fuse/breaker box
• Main water shutoff
• Water shutoff valve for toilets, sink faucets, and washing machine.

Image credit: https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-jkgbg (Free for commercial use)