Is winter ever going away? Whether March comes in like a lion or lamb, it brings hopeful signs with a little more sunshine, warmer temperatures and lighter jackets. With the bliss of impending spring, it’s also a good time to get your home ready for the new season.
Take a look at our top home maintenance tips for March:
Discard bad medicine. Examine all those medicine bottles and tubes in your cabinets and safely discard expired prescriptions and over-the-counter products. And as always, make sure they are out of the reach of children or protected with childproof locks.
Tackle the garage. It’s time for the dreaded cleaning out the garage, and all those forgotten and dusty items on the shelf. Throw away your junk, and organize other items into piles to keep, sell or give away. Organize a yard sale, and immediately take anything leftover to your favorite local charity. Properly dispose of paint, cleaners, pesticides and other chemicals (you can contact your community’s public works department to locate hazardous material drop sites.)
Clean out the refrigerator. Even your kitchen appliances need love, too. Remove all those trays and shelves, and wash them – along with the entire inside cavity – with mild detergent and water. Remove old ice from your ice-making element and clean out the receptacle.
Look for moisture. With spring comes heavy rains, which is a great time to inspect your basement walls for leaks or wetness. If you think you have a problem, schedule an appointment with a basement waterproofing contractor. Double check your sump pump to make sure it’s working properly (by pouring water into the pump silo to raise the float and activate the motor).
Inspect your water heater. You can test the pressure and temperature relief valve on your water heater by opening it and allowing some water to flow out. If little or no water flows out or it doesn’t shut off, replace it. Bad valves can cause explosions.
Prepare outdoor space for pets. If you have outdoor areas that help shelter your pet, make sure they are structurally sound and ready for spring. If you already have a doghouse (or you want to build a new one), make sure the roof is adequately ventilated so hot air can escape. Also, make sure you do not use pressure-treated wood on any structures that your dog might chew.
Replace batteries. Daylight Savings Time is the perfect reminder to replace batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
In addition to these top home maintenance tips, spring is also a good time to make sure your air conditioning unit is properly serviced and ready for those warm temperatures … whenever they get here. Give us a call and we’ll get you scheduled.
