Home maintenance is often the ire of every homeowner, but that doesn’t mean it’s something you can neglect. There’s the standard home maintenance that you should do regularly, like mowing the lawn and vacuuming carpets, but there are many other maintenance tasks that are infrequent, meaning they’re also easier to neglect. You cannot forget about these home maintenance tasks because putting them off until the next year or the year after will soon leave your home in disrepair.
Dryer Vent Duct Cleaning
Almost everyone knows they need to clean out their lint trap when they use the dryer, but they may not realize that this isn’t all the lint building up from every use. The dryer also has a vent duct, and so much use over time creates a lot of lint that can hide for years, slowly but surely creating problems. If you want to keep your home clean, you shouldn’t let it get to this point. You should clean your dryer vent every six months or so. Leaving the lint to build up will extend your drying times, make your house and clothes smell weird, and, worst of all, create a fire risk.
Check on Your Flag
If your home has a flag outside on your front porch or in your yard, you will need to do some maintenance. It may be a strong symbol of your country, but over time, wear and tear will turn your normally pristine flag into something almost unrecognizable. You don’t need to check on or replace your flag every day or week, but how often should you replace your American flag??
Depending on the area you live in and the weather you experience, your outdoor flag may deteriorate differently than others, so there’s no standard answer. Generally, keep an eye on your flag and its quality so that you can replace it when needed. You’ll need to replace some flags every 90 days, but others will last six months to a year if you treat them right.
Inspect for Pests
Regular pest inspections should be a normal part of your routine maintenance schedule, but every few months or so, you should do a more in-depth inspection. A pest infestation could start from nothing, so regular inspections are important. You could have ants or rodents hiding during your initial inspection, and it’s only as the infestation worsens that you can start to notice signs of their presence. Some signs to keep an eye out for are:
Pest droppings
Foul odors
Chewed fixtures
Holes in walls
If you notice these signs, it’s time to get to work. There are some at-home pest solutions that you can implement yourself to eradicate the issue, but you can also consult with professionals to ensure that your home is pest-free going forward.
If you forget about these home maintenance tasks, you’ll accidentally put them off to the point where you wake up one day and find your home laden with falling-apart fixtures and broken appliances. Thankfully, you don’t have to neglect these tasks. Taking care of maintenance now isn’t fun, but letting it worsen will create more headaches and cost more money. Roll up your sleeves and take care of your home now before it’s too late.
