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.

Importance of Seasonal Home Cleaning and Maintenance

With the arrival of chilly weather, there sure will be the spread of winter germs in your home. So, what should you do to escape from this menace?!

Prevention is better than cure! In addition to regular cleaning, proper home maintenance should also be ensured on a seasonal basis. You may be finding it difficult to combine household chores and home maintenance works.   

Get your home in great shape with professional home maintenance practice. This includes taking the services of experts such as home cleaners, plumbers etc.  occasionally so as to avoid something major goes wrong in your home.

Did you know that there are less chances of catching colds and flu if your home is well cleaned and kept hygienic during the winter?! 

Tips for Keeping Your Home Germs Free

Your dishwasher can be a source of fungi and black yeast. So don’t believe the myth that dishwasher need not to be cleaned because it’s a Washer!  Thoroughly clean the inside of a dishwasher by running it empty with a cup of vinegar on the top rack -  Clean it like this at least once in a month to decrease the presence of germs.  

If you use gloves for cleaning, remember that they can be very unhygienic if proper care is not given. Change the gloves frequently and ensure that they are kept clean and dry when not in use. Cleaning can be done by putting the gloves in a basin with vinegar and detergent.  This is to make sure that bacteria growth in the gloves is well under control.

If you have gas heating, and not yet serviced the gas hot water and gas heater during autumn, do it now on an urgent basis. This is to prevent gas leakages in the heater, and ensure its smooth functioning throughout the winter when you need it the most.  Take the services of a licensed plumber during summer for maintenance checks so that there will be fewer issues in winter. Release the hot water system valves to reduce pressure and inspect the sacrificial anode rod and replace it if required during summer checks. If you had done these summer checks and servicing on your hot water supply, then there won’t be any further problems in winter.

It doesn’t matter whether you use a wooden or a plastic cutting board- provided it’s cleaned regularly. Plastic boards can be washed in a dishwasher set to approx. 60°C. Bacteria growth in wooden boards is very less, so normal cleaning will suffice.

The most used and frequently touched  items in the house such as door knobs,  light switches, and electronic items like computer keyboards, mouse and TV remote, etc. are to be wiped clean twice or thrice in a month.  Some studies have proved that these items contain more harmful micro organisms than the toilet seat.

Also, don’t use the same bath towel repeatedly without properly cleaning it. Germs easily grow and multiply in a damp towel. Frequent cleaning, and drying after every use, can keep the towels dry and free from harmful bacteria. 

Go for Affordable and Quality Home Cleaners 

Select Home Cleaning Service delivers affordable, first class home cleaning in New Zealand and Australia. After our foolproof cleaning, you’ll feel great to come back from office to a perfectly clean home that smells great. Available now in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton in New Zealand, and many other regions in Australia. Call us now on 0800 000 907 to get your free quote! 

Regular professional home cleaning  in each season means you are always on track of home maintenance cycle and thus you minimise the risk of illness ad other related issues in your family. 

Do you want the freedom and profitability possible through owning your own home cleaning business?! Join SelectFrachise, part of NZ's multi-award winning Home Services System, which has around 200 Franchisees in its fold.

Select Home Cleaning Tips – Winter House Cleaning Ideas and Checklist

Keeping your home clean and free from dirt in winter is not a hard task at all if you rely on professional house cleaners like Select Home Cleaning. However, there are times when you wish to clean the home yourself to ensure the premises are maintained after professional house cleaners have finished their jobs.  

Given below are some simple winter house cleaning tips that will help you to keep your beautiful home and premises clean and free from dirt and germs-

• Keep the air ducts clean- For getting optimum heating during the winter months, you should ensure the air ducts of your premises are clean. For this you need to depend on professionals like Select Home Cleaning as they will do it quickly and precisely. If you care about the heating system of your home, it is important for you to enter into an annual cleaning contract for your home.
• Use doormats- Placing doormats at strategic locations of your home will prevent unwanted mud, grime, dirt and water entering the house. The need for frequent cleaning of the floor will also be reduced. Placing rough mats made of coir or rubber near doors will soak up the mud, dirt and grime effectively.
• Gutters- It is important for you to regularly clean gutters as it is the dry time of the year. This time you will find gutters getting clogged. This affects the flow of water. You should remove debris, twigs and stray leaves from the gutters to enhance the effective flow of water.
• Cleaning the carpets and rugs- For keeping the interiors of your home neat and healthy, it is important for you to clean the rugs and carpets in the home. The good news is that winter spots and stains are not hard to remove if you bank on the right professional cleaners to do it for you. They will remove even small traces of dirt and ensure your carpets and rugs are perfectly clean.
• Allergens and dust- It is important for you to have a safe home free from allergens and dust. This problem rises in winter as the air is dry. Keep the indoors of your home clean by removing dust from every nook and corner of your home.
• Furniture cleaning- You must also thoroughly clean the furniture and the upholstery in your home. Vacuum cleaners suck up the dust. Sofas should be cleaned well and take sufficient time to remove dust from chairs, cupboards, tables etc. For upholstery cleaning, you should remove them and place them in the washing machine.

Select Home Cleaning Services– affordable and professional home cleaning services

Select Home Cleaning is a professional and cost effective house cleaning company, servicing Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington & Christchurch. It specialises in all types of home cleaning projects. Their professionals are skilled and trained in the latest methods of house cleaning. They are reliable and dedicated to their work. For specialised home cleaning such as winter or summer cleaning, you can get in touch with them and get it done in a very professional manner without any hassles!