March Home Maintenance + Safety Checklist

Spring cleaning is fully underway as the snow melts and the flowers begin to bloom. Read our home maintenance and safety checklist to ensure you’re ready for March.

Hallways

• Test carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. Hold the test button down until you hear a loud siren. If you don’t hear anything, replace the battery.

Outside

• Inspect roofing. Look for leaks and missing, damaged, or loose shingles.
• Test your garage door. Make sure the auto-reverse feature works by placing an object underneath the garage door. If the door doesn’t reverse when it encounters the obstacle, it requires too much force and should be repaired.
• Check exterior drainage. Look for leaves or vegetation and clear any debris to make sure water flows freely.
• Get your air conditioning system serviced. This will ensure it’s working properly for the hot months to come.
• Repair or replace damaged window screens. This will help protect your home from outside bugs and critters.
• Clean road salt from entrances. This is important to avoid damaging concrete, asphalt, and wood. 

Bedroom and Living Areas

• Clean the fireplace. This helps prevent soot accumulation, which could fuel a chimney fire.
• Cover electrical outlets. Also ensure they’re not overloaded to prevent an electrical shortage or power outage.
• Clean carpets. This will remove stains and prevent unhealthy accumulation of soil and dirt.
• Dust baseboards. This prevents dust buildup and makes your home look fresh and clean.
• Touch up baseboards. Clean and touch up baseboards and doors with paint to prevent chipping and preserve the wood’s integrity. 
• Check caulking. Fix caulking on weather stripping and windows to prevent drafts or water from getting in your home.
• Clean shelves. Reduce dust and dirt accumulation on bookshelves and cabinets.
• Vacuum. Make sure to get underneath large furniture pieces to reduce dust mites.
• Clean fan blades. Wipe down fan blades and lightbulbs to avoid the buildup of dust mites.

Bathroom

• Clean showerheads. Remove showerheads and clean off sediment and mineral deposits so water flows freely.

Basement

• Install a water alarm. Place a water alarm in your basement to prevent flooding.
• Change furnace filters. This will keep airflow unobstructed. If the furnace is clogged, it has to work harder, which will cause it to wear out faster.
• Flush hot water heater. Remove sediment so your water heater keeps performing at its best. Sediment buildup makes it harder for the heater to heat the same amount of water.
• Vacuum your HVAC system. This will ensure it operates efficiently.
• Clean the washing machine and dryer. This helps remove odors and keeps the machines running smoothly.
• Purge junk from your laundry room. By doing this, you can prevent dust and lint from taking over the space.

Kitchen

• Check your fire extinguisher. Verify that the lock pin is intact and press the test indicator to ensure the pressure reading is within range.
• Clean your garbage disposal. This prevents smells and bacteria.
• Clean out the pantry. This stops bugs and other pests from coming into your house.

And have a safe and wonderful Spring!