April Home Maintenance

April brings showers, which reinforces that nicer weather is on it’s way with May flowers. April is a time to embrace the {slightly} warmer weather, and prepare your home for summer. Take advantage of the time this month to take care of lingering paperwork (taxes, ahem) and the rest of the spring cleaning, then move to the exterior of your home. The more you do now, the less you have to worry about later, when household maintenance is the last thing on your mind.

Here are our suggestions of what to do for your home this April!

It’s probably part of the regular routine now, but it’s a a great time to reset your GFCI outlets, replace the HVAC filters if necessary, clean the garbage disposal and range hood filter, and get your fire extinguishers inspected.

Give your gutters and downspouts a good cleaning, ensuring they’re free of winter debris for the coming rains. If needed, replace your gutters and/or add gutter covers to help with clogging in the future.

While you’re near the roof, inspect the shingles, flashing, and vents to see if any are in need of repair. If you’re not comfortable being up on the roof, schedule a roofer to do the inspection for you.

Go into your basement and/or attic, checking for wet surfaces and that the drain is functioning correctly. Clean up any debris and record any areas that need repair.

Do a walk-about of the exterior of your home, noting areas that are in need of repair or cleaning. Check all the siding, doors, windows, and paint around your home, fixing and cleaning what you can. Call in a professional for things you can’t tackle yourself.

Take advantage of a nice weather afternoon, and spend some time working on your landscaping. Remove any dead plants and shrubs from your yard and freshen everything up so that you come home to a happy house. While you’re at it, inspect your outdoor tools and supplies, such as your hoses, rakes, lawn mower, etc.