Spring cleaning and maintenance for your home

After a long winter, your home could use a pick-me-up. Whether you need to replace damaged gutters or just want to liven up your curb appeal with a fresh coat of paint, springtime provides you with the perfect opportunity to update and revamp your house.

Outdoor maintenance

Dwight Barnett, a master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors, relayed to HGTV that there are a number of tasks you may want to tackle and certain areas of your home that you may want to investigate for damages.

Winter can be especially hard on your roof. Make sure no shingles are damaged or missing, and if you know your roof is older, consider starting a savings fund to cover the costs of a replacement. In addition, ensure that all gutters are working and properly attached to help eliminate the risk of water damage to your basement. All downspouts should drain water away from your home's foundation. If you have a chimney, hire a professional chimney sweep to clean and inspect this feature. Improper maintenance could increase your risk of a home fire.

Outdoor faucets may have also experienced some wear and tear over the cold months. Turn on the water and check the pressure. If you are easily able to stop flow, an internal pipe may be damaged.

Ensure that the grading around your home is still alright. You may have to re-grade it to ensure the ground does not slope toward your foundation. This could lead to flood damage. Also, inspect your sump pump and check that it is working properly. Consider installing a back-up if you do not already have one.

Indoor maintenance

Care.com noted that you should ensure that your ground fault circuit interrupter outlets are properly working. If you do not have GFCI outlets, consider having them installed. They can protect you from electrical shocks and are a valuable safety feature to incorporate into your home. In addition, you should test the batteries for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they have full battery power, according to Country Living.

Also, wash your windows and repair any tears in screens that may have occurred over the course of winter. If further damage to the trim around your windows is present, make those repairs to prevent water damage or other potential issues.

Hire a qualified expert to service your air conditioning and heating system. Have him or her clean the coils and ensure that your unit is working sufficiently. If any repairs are necessary, have them completed as soon as possible. Springtime weather can be unpredictable and may require you use both your air conditioner and furnace at any given time.

Keeping it clean

Also, Good House Keeping noted that there are a couple features in your home that you may be surprised to know require you to clean them. Properly maintain your dishwasher and washing machine, or they may become infested with bacteria or even mold. The buildup of food in your dishwasher and laundry soap and dirt in your washing machine may cause an unpleasant odor. Run a load using hot water, baking soda and vinegar to clean out these units. 

Some of the items you use to clean your home may also harbor bacteria and germs. Makes sure that you disinfect your sponges, brooms and microfiber cloths. Some of these cleaning supplies require more regular maintenance than others. Zap the germs out of your sponges by soaking them in water every few days, ringing them out and placing them in the microwave for one minute. You should throw away old ones after a month. Wash your brooms and microfiber clothes with a gentle detergent and warm water.