March Home Maintenance
SPRING IS HERE! March 20th officially marks the beginning of Spring with the equinox, and we’re happy to see it! The new season brings a sense of change in the air, and you can feel that summer is hot on its heels.
March brings the beginning of daylight saving time, where we turn our clocks forward to take advantage of longer evenings. The month also sees us spending more time outdoors, gardening, exercising, camping, and more.
Here are our suggestions of what to do for your home this March!
Changing seasons are a great time to check on things around your home, such as resetting your GFCI outlets, replacing HVAC filters as necessary, and having fire extinguishers inspected.
SPRING AHEAD! March 13 is the day to turn your clocks ahead by one hour, marking the beginning of daylight saving time.
Test all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home, and change the batteries to a fresh set. These are life-saving devices, so it’s a good idea to rely on new batteries and use the old set(s) somewhere else.
If you have a garage door, inspect it to ensure the lifting mechanism is working correctly and that the door itself is in good condition. Lubricate the bearings to keep it operating well.
Check your hot water tank (boiler, water main, or well pump) for leaks, as well as the drain and supply line. Repair if needed. Flush your hot water tank and remove any sediment that has built up.
Now that the frost is {hopefully} done for the year, it’s time to turn on your exterior water supply.
While you’re outside, inspect the exterior spaces of your home for any safety hazards, fixing any tripping hazards, make sure the fencing around your pool is in tip-top shape, and everything is set-up for enjoying your exterior spaces all season.
This is the time of year when everyone gets the cleaning bug and embarks on the task of Spring Cleaning. If you don’t have a set plan yet, make one and it’ll make the task so much easier! List the tasks you want to take care of room-by-room and tackle at least one task a day. It’s a great way to prepare your home for sunny days when you’ll want to spend more time outside than stuck inside cleaning.
A few cleaning tasks to make sure are on your to-do list:
Give your garbage disposal unit a good cleaning, making it operate efficiently and smelling great!
Do a good degreasing treatment on your stove’s range hood so it will also operate efficiently.
Go into your basement or crawl space and give it a clean, vacuuming the floor, tidying up any unfinished tasks, and inspecting it for any water damage or leaks.
Your dryer vent should get a good cleaning regularly to remove any built up lint that could pose a fire risk.
Flip your mattress, or rotate it if it’s of the pillow-top variety. While you’re at it, wash your pillows and mattress protector too! If the weather allows, swap out your heavy bedding for lighter-weight items.
Finally, bring a little spring into your home and decorate your home with some flower blooms, pussy willow branches, and spring inspired home accessories.
