Utah Mortgage Keystone

Everyone Needs a House Cleaning Schedule
 Once you have your home, it’s your responsibility alone to make sure it doesn’t waste away into a musty mass of decadence fit for a haunted house urban legend. Think of a house as a body with its own set of organs and its own health to maintain. The organs here represent the components that need continued attention so the house can remain healthy and retain its vitality (value). Things like caulking, AC filters, plumbing, electrical fixtures, etc. require the most continued attention and can deteriorate quickly without it. By committing to scheduled house cleaning, you can be sure your home stays healthy.
 Home Maintenance Checklist
 We’ve put together an intensive home maintenance checklist of all the things you’ll need to keep up with in your new home and how often they’ll need your attention:
 Weekly
 ✓Dusting/Routine Cleaning – Accumulated dust can be harmful to finishes
 ✓Yard Work – This one’s pretty obvious
 Monthly/Bimonthly 
✓Change AC Filters – Every month for conventional or ever other for higher quality systems
 ✓Check Ducts and Vents for Dust – This will ensure healthy air quality
 Seasonally
 ✓Forced-Air Furnace Filters – At least every 3 months during the cold seasons
 ✓Oil the Moving Parts of Your Garage Door – Every 3 months
✓Replace Aerator (that “screen” in your faucet) – Every 3 to 4 months
✓Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detectors – Replace batteries twice a year or as needed
✓Clean Windows and Shutters – Every 3 to 4 months
 Yearly or Less
 ✓Inspect Siding – Yearly
✓Flush Hot Water Heater – Do this yearly, and be sure to clean out the leftover sediment
 ✓Wax Any Hardwood Flooring – Yearly (it’s a good idea to have this inspected every year as well) ✓Wrap Heating Tape on the Pipes – Every winter (regional)
 ✓Service Heating System – Every fall
✓Inspect Roof and Skylights – Every 3 years (by a professional)
 Other Tidbits
 ✓Clean your gutters before any big storms and check at least weekly
 ✓Fix pipes as soon as you begin to hear noise; noisy pipes could mean loose fittings
✓Trim dead branches as you see them
✓Keep the attic at 10 degrees warmer than outside air to keep heat from escaping
 ✓Keep your windows and doors caulked if you notice any poor seals
✓Keep gable vents open year-round

What do you think the Number One Home Maintenance Failure is?

Its the “AC!!! We neglect it!!! The best advice is to change the filter regularly, it will not only improve air quality but it lowers monthly cooling costs too. We also neglect the bathroom,which can also become a big problem area that gets glossed over for sometimes years on end by most home owners. Pay attention the the grout in the corners...you might think ignoring it is ok...but...its not. For you have no idea whats going on BEHIND the cracks!! Don’t procrastinate… That is the number one failure in a home .Get caulking!! and do it yourself, you’ll want to make sure any cracks you see get filled. Remember that keeping your home in tip-top shape is a process that’s never actually finished and is one of the biggest things you can do to make sure your home’s value doesn’t diminish. If you can keep up with this home maintenance checklist, your home might catch a cold here and there, but you can be assured that nothing big should catch up with it.

photo found here