Your Quick and Easy Guide to Home Maintenance

Homeowners often overlook the importance of home maintenance. With this quick home cleaning maintenance guide, you can save time and prevent a buildup of problems from happening.

With home ownership, it’s important to stay on top of maintenance. As you may know, routine tasks can quickly become problems if left undone. To keep your home in great condition, make home maintenance a priority. That way, you won’t have any headaches in the future. Let’s dive into a quick guide into home maintenance so you know exactly how to handle it.

Bathroom

The bathroom is a smaller room, but it’s usually one of the least popular to keep in tact. Start by removing items and creating open space so you can do all bathroom maintenance at once. Check the corners, floors, and grab a duster, pan, and broom. Remove cobwebs on the bottom and top corners. Sweep up hair and dirt under your shower mat.

A simple solution

If you don’t have sludge piling up in your sink and shower, an all-purpose cleaner will do. Let the solution settle on your shower door, tub, sink, and counters. A damp rag or sponge works fine for rubbing and scrubbing the surfaces after a few minutes. Once you move on to the toilet, use a solution with bleach for scrubbing and disinfecting. You can scrub the outside of the toilet with a clean rag, but don’t forget to flush the solution. Finally, do a routine mopping on your floors now that you cleared space of any mats.

Why bathroom maintenance matters

Bathroom maintenance prevents mold and bacteria from spreading. Mold causes damages while a germ-filled bathroom is unsanitary and could cause illness. Not to mention, bathrooms will build up with sludge, grime, and deep stains that are hard to reverse once it’s been a while. It’s a good idea to maintain your bathroom at least once a week.

Kitchen

As the center of your home, a clean kitchen makes a huge difference. Clear the clutter off of your countertops and dust off the top of your fridge to start. Use a kitchen-safe solution for cleaning counters, stove, and table. For now, it’s fine to wipe down the outside of your appliances until you do a weekly deep cleaning. The kitchen is a bit tricky because each appliance operates differently.

Kitchen checklist

Refrigerator. Clear out the fridge and toss away expired items. Scrub away gunk and wash with a warm cloth or sponge on the inside. Keep an open box of baking soda to reduce odors and check on your temperature. Inspect the back and underneath of your refrigerator and make sure the water line isn’t leaking.

Microwave. Heat a cup of water for a minute to loosen up stains inside. Wipe it down afterwards with a cloth or sponge. Always remember to keep metal and aluminum out of the microwave when cooking.

Oven. Most ovens have an effective self-cleaning feature. Check your burners for trapped food underneath. Inside of the oven, wipe down grease or more burnt food on the bottom. Inspect your gas line and make sure nothing is loose or has a strong gas scent.

Garbage disposal. A vinegar ice cube works wonders. They reduce odor and break down gunk inside of the disposal. Scrub any grime around the garbage disposal.

Dishwasher. Flush your dishwasher with soapy water if you detect an odor. A cup of white vinegar also does the trick!

Why kitchen maintenance matters

The kitchen is an active place where cleanliness matters. From your countertops, to your appliances, they should be free from bacteria and sludge from cooking. Kitchen appliances also may break down over time where a costly replacement is needed. Try cleaning your kitchen at least once a day. A deeper cleaning and maintenance (with a quick inspection) could be done at least once every week.

Bedrooms and other living spaces

Bedrooms in our homes are a place where we find peace and create our own atmosphere. You can keep peace by maintaining each living space and organizing a clutter-free environment. So where do you start? Not many people consider their very own mattress. We can’t see dust mites, so airing out the mattress and vacuuming it. It reduces built up odor and dust.

Clutter removal

Books, old decorations, clothes, and knick knacks, start moving out all of your clutter. Grab an empty bin and open up all of your drawers and the closet. You’d be surprised how much junk piles up in a matter of a few months. These older items accumulate dust and reduce your space!

Room cleaning

Grab a vacuum, rag, and a duster. Open your windows, and dust the creases off. Wipe down your windows and even gently vacuum your screens. Open your closet and wipe the inside of the door. Vacuum the whole area since it may be dusty from the clutter you cleaned out. Shift furniture such as desks, beds, and chairs so you can create space to vacuum settled dust too.

Why bedroom and living Space maintenance matters

Room maintenance prevents dust and clutter from piling up. It boosts your air quality and opens your home up even more. All it takes is a monthly routine to keep your rooms tidy.

Exterior

There’s plenty of ground to cover outdoors for maintenance especially just in time for Spring cleaning. Start by looping around and checking the drainage. Are your gutters flowing property or are there any deformities? Look for puddles that indicate bad drainage. Clean out your gutters and flush out any leaves and mud. Too much weight could break your gutters and cause an overflow of water which erodes the exterior of your home. If you do find puddles, consider calling a paving company and ask if they could level out your drainage.

Yard cleanup

Rake up leaves in your yard, and remove any fallen tree branches. Take a look at your trees and make a note if any damaged branches could potentially land on the home. A professional will need to safely remove them. You can lay down a layer of mulch around the borders of your home (mostly garden areas) which will freshen up your exterior. Mulch is also great for slowing down the growth of pesky weeds during warmer months.

Exterior paint

It doesn’t hurt to give the exterior of your home an inspection. Is the paint chipping or cracked? Fresh exterior paint protects shingles from water erosion and rot. Sometimes exterior paint only needs a touch-up if the wear is minimal. Power washing helps with rinsing away the Winter grime which takes a toll on your paint and masonry over time and gives your home a restored appearance. Not to mention, power washing is fantastic for decks and patios where leaves and dirt get stuck in between the wooden boards.

Why exterior maintenance matters

Exterior maintenance combats harsh weather effects and degradation. Keep in mind that a quick inspection helps you identify structural damage before something devastating happens. Additionally, it keeps your property neat, safe, and prepared for each season. You can safely do exterior maintenance seasonally.

Little things make a big difference

Little things add up very quickly. By staying on top of your home maintenance and chipping away little by little, you could save yourself trouble down the road. Always be sure to make home maintenance a priority.