When you keep your house clean, you protect yourself and your family from bacteria and viruses that may cause diseases and allergies. Especially these days, with the pandemic still affecting many, cleaning has become more crucial than ever.
But other than that, maintaining tidiness also preserves your abode’s freshness, making it sale-ready should you decide to sell it in the future. Moreover, it spares you from a ton of problems related to dirt, such as molds, weakening foundations, and roofing issues.
That said, here are the essential maintenance measures and chores that will retain our home’s beauty and value:
1. Repainting
While not an absolute necessity every year or so, repainting the exteriors should still be part of your future plans. It boosts your curb appeal, restores the color’s brilliance, hides away stains that have become impossible to remove, not to mention make your house look new again.
2. Cleaning the Roof and Gutters
Dirty roofs can cause damage to the shingles and clogs to the gutters. When neglected, these roof issues may lead to interior leaks, causing damages on your attic and ceilings, mold and mildew growth, fire hazards from electrical wiring that may get wet, and a surge in your energy bills, to name a few.
The best time to clean your roof is in autumn, after all the leaves have stopped falling. But if you’re not used to climbing up a roof, don’t risk your safety for it; you can always rely on experienced roof cleaners in your city for that.
3. Protecting Your Foundation
You may think foundations are built to withstand any kind of damage, but unfortunately, it’s not immune to cracks and leaks. When that happens, the damage can travel to your drywall, allowing moisture to creep into the interiors and wreak havoc.
To protect your foundation, avoid planting anything within an 8-inch distance from your house. Watering plants too close to your foundation will affect the soil supporting it, causing your foundation to rot and weaken.
4. Cleaning the Fireplace and Chimney
Fireplaces, especially gas ones, are recommended to be thoroughly cleaned after the winter. Simply use an appropriate vacuum cleaner to remove the ashes, and make a distilled white vinegar and water solution to wipe down the interiors of the hearth with. As for the chimney, just let an experienced professional handle the cleaning, around the same time you’ll schedule your fireplace cleaning.
5. Maintain Kitchen Appliances
If you’re leaving some appliances in your house when you move out, they must be well-maintained for the sake of your buyer. Regularly inspect your drains for clogs, keep the refrigerator clean, and ensure that your HVAC filters are being replaced as needed.
6. Tidying Up the Garage, Basement, and Attic
These spaces must be tidied up once a year at least. They’re the parts of your home that collects spiderwebs, dust, and bugs the fastest. You’d certainly also find items in there that you can already throw away or donate.
7. Cleaning the Forgotten Areas
Every home has nooks and crannies that tend to be forgotten. Check underneath your furniture, the baseboards, tops of cabinets, picture frames, doors, vents, closet floors and your indoor plants. The dust tucked in those little areas may be the culprit of your non-stop allergies.
Use a vacuum cleaner or a dust mop to clean floors and other bigger surfaces and corners, and wipe down smaller objects and spaces with a microfiber cloth. You may also need to pay attention to your cleaning tools; vacuums, scrubbing brushes, mop heads, sponges, and wiping cloths need regular washing, too.
With these items constantly on your spring cleaning checklist, your home will barely lose its strength and beauty over time, impressing guests and future buyers immensely.
