Owning a home comes with many responsibilities that we might not consider when initially imagining having a place of our own. In fact, sometimes, it can feel like a full-time job! If you don’t know what we mean, here’s a list of 17 tasks every homeowner is responsible for tackling monthly or at least on a routine basis.
Maintain Garden
Whether you have green fingers or not, homeowners will need to regularly take care of gardening tasks, such as weeding and planting- especially weeds, as these can attract rodents and pests that can be harmful to your family and pets. Keeping a maintained yard and garden is not only aesthetic but can also keep your loved ones safe. In particular, Travelers warns, “If you have large trees on your property, be on the lookout for signs of weakness or decay.”
Mop Hard Floors and Wipe Down Walls
Mopping is most likely a given for people, but doing a high-quality mop of hardwood floors with possibly a little buffing will go a long way. Less obvious, unless you have small children, is wiping down the walls. Let’s be honest, when was the last time you washed your walls? But just like everything else in your home, they accumulate dust and dirt.
Check Monthly Electricity Costs
Monitor the electricity usage of appliances and manage usage accordingly. This is not only important for budgeting but also for making sure everything in your home is running properly. Family Handyman says, “Use a (smart) device to calculate a figure for your plug-in appliances. Test a different appliance every month, and get a sense of your electricity usage.”
Inspect Sinks and Tub Drains
Look for slow drainage that may indicate clogs. Taking care of clogs early by either hand-clearing hair from drains or using drain cleaner can save you time and money later on for much larger clogs that require a plumber.
Flush Hot Water from the Water Heater
As Landmark Home Warranty points out, it’s very important to flush any leftover hot water from your boiler. They write, “Flushing your water heater can increase its life expectancy; the more sediment build up the water heater has in the tank, the harder the water heater has to work to heat your water. This can cause parts of the heater to burn out quickly, reducing your water heater’s life expectancy.”
Clean Gutters
This is especially important for those who have trees around their home. Clogged gutters start by being as annoying as a waterfall over your front door but can lead to water damage to your home. Or, possibly scarier, a fallen gutter hitting someone visiting your home.
Check Roof
Every month, you should look for potential issues or damages on your roof. This does not mean you have to climb on your roof every month. Stepping away from your home and doing a visual inspection from the ground can help alert you to problems that require someone to get up on the roof and check it out.
Clean Heat Ducts
To remove dust and improve air quality, consider professional help if needed. This task is generally as simple as wiping down the vents or taking a vacuum hose to them. If you have a pet or people with allergies in your home, this will significantly improve the air quality.
Seal Caulk or Grout
To avoid stains and water infiltration, HSH recommends you “touch up any voids or cracks in baths and showers. This keeps them looking nice while helping to avoid seeping water damage.” Don’t worry; if done properly, you won’t be doing this every month, but it is always good to check monthly. Even if you don’t actively walk around to look, try to take note of any imperfect spots next time you’re soaking in the tub.
Dust Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans aren’t especially common these days in the UK, as it rarely gets hot enough to use them! However, if you do own one, you may forget how dusty it gets. But much like cleaning the heat and air ducts, this simple task will help you breathe much easier. The amount of dust some ceiling fans are throwing around will make you sneeze just thinking about it.
Clean Light Fixtures and Wash Curtains
Since we have you thinking about the last time you washed your walls, when was the last time you washed your curtains? You wouldn’t wear clothes that haven’t been washed in months; why are you letting your windows? Forbes has this on their monthly cleaning task list. Light fixtures and curtains collect dirt and allergens; cleaning them will help the air quality and keep your filters lasting longer.
Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
People are often told to change the batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors with daylight savings time; we recommend you also check them monthly. The last thing you want is for either of these life-saving monitors to not be working when you need them the most.
Inspect Plumbing
There are a couple of ways to make sure your plumbing is doing its job correctly. One would be to walk around your home and check for leaks, clogs, and other issues. The other would be monitoring your water bill. An extra high water bill can be a sign of a running toilet or a leak somewhere in your home.
Walk Through the Entire Property
You may be thinking, “I walk through my home constantly,” but this is an intentional walk-through. Go from room to room and around the perimeter to check for insects, rodents, rot, leaks, or mold. Catching problems early is important to save on costly repairs in the future.
Deep Clean Home
Once you’ve gone through this list, a lot of cleaning has already been done, so this one shouldn’t feel overwhelming. At least once a month, tackle tasks like cleaning the oven, vacuuming under furniture, and dusting baseboards. It can also be helpful to purge things you no longer use and gift them away through local community groups.