Home Maintenance Checklist – Get Your Home Ready for Winter

Two important home maintenance tasks you must do in the first year of buying a home are given below:

1. Recaulk your windows: 

Experts assert that 80% of winter heat loss occurs because of cracks and air leak near windows and doors.  A clean solution for this is to seal the spaces around windows with caulk and thereby preventing the heat loss. While caulking the windows, ensure that you have the right caulk and the good quality one with proper joint movement capability so that the sealing is efficient and lasting without cracking or peeling. 

Check the caulking around your windows at the end of every summer and recaulk the windows if necessary.

2. Check furnace and HVAC filters after you move in: 

Another thing that wastes energy and costs you more money is the existence of clogged filters which make heating and cooling systems run less efficiently. Remove the filters from the system and if found dark and dirty, replace them. Do this filter replacing every year. This will also help removal of any trapped pollutants and allergens.

Home maintenance checklist for winter

The adage, ‘prevention is better than cure’ is applicable for home cleaning also. If you take up the home maintenance works on time, costly damage and emergency repairs down the line can be avoided. Here is a home checklist of maintenance projects, advising which tasks are to be undertaken in the winter season. This will help you to monitor and complete all the maintenance tasks before the harsh weather peeps in.

• Clean the carpets
• Clean the garage, and oil garage door tracks
• Clean garbage disposal
• Test carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and replace batteries yearly or as needed
• Check fire extinguisher
• Remove lint from dryer exhaust vent
• Check exhaust ducts are clear of debris
• Clean kitchen exhaust hood and filter
• Check sinks and toilets for leaks; remove showerheads and clean sediment
• Inspect hoses on dishwasher and washing machine for leaks.

How to tackle home dampness and mould problems

Houses in New Zealand need to be properly maintained to reduce moisture in your home and avoid dampness related problems.

Winter is coming, and people living in cold, damp and mouldy homes will have more health issues.  Dampness and the presence of mould can impact on our health as they can cause or aggravate respiratory infections, asthma and rheumatic fever. 

“Insulation, moisture levels and decent curtains are the three things people should focus on to stay warm and dry over winter”, NZ Herald quoted Auckland council eco-design adviser Adrian Feasey as saying.

A 2015 nationwide survey of Kiwi homes by the Building Research Association of NZ (BRANZ), showed that rental properties compared to owner-occupied homes are about twice as likely to be rated ''poorly maintained''.

Homeowners should ensure that proper insulation is maintained in the walls, ceilings and under floors throughout the winter. Winter cleaning by a professional home cleaner before the start of the seasonal change will go a great way in maintaining the room temperature at the safe limit of 18C. A reputed house cleaning company will be able to point out general issues affecting proper sealing of your house.