It’s a new year, which means it’s time to get your January home maintenance plan in order.
While there are definite home maintenance tasks you need to do monthly – like checking your smoke alarms and testing your GFCIs – there is one very important task that should be at the top of your January home maintenance checklist.
Plan out your home maintenance for the year
The most important item on this month’s home maintenance plan is to schedule the home maintenance you’ll need to complete for the year. This may seem like a big task, but here at vipHomeLInk, we simplify it. While the vipHomeLink home management app helps you with Reminders and Recommendations, personalized for your home’s systems, we explore the annual maintenance you need to complete in 2022 below.
Schedule a HVAC servicing twice a year
Make sure to schedule a HVAC deep cleaning and servicing twice a year – in spring before you need your air conditioning unit and in fall before you need your furnace. This can help you prevent an outage, which can lead to frozen pipes and expensive water damage.
Also, don’t forget to change your HVAC filters! Talk to your service professional to know the frequency, but most units require a change or cleaning every three months.
Clean out your dryer vent (at least once) annually
We’re not talking about your lint trap here! As part of your home maintenance plan, you should call a service technician to clean out the vent leading outside of your home. Depending on how often you use your dryer, you may need to clean it more than once every 12 months.
Clean your gutters twice
Similar to your HVAC unit, add “cleaning your gutters” to your homeowner’s maintenance checklist twice. Plan to get up on the ladder (or hire a professional to do so) once after the seeds fall in late spring and once after the leaves fall in late autumn.
Schedule your plumbing inspection
A minor leak can lead to major problems in your home. In fact, one in 50 homes suffer water damage or freezing claims each year. Avoid one of these issues by scheduling an annual plumbing inspection, where a licensed plumber can highlight areas of concern before they become costly repairs.
While you have a professional plumber in the house, ask them to flush your water heater (an annual task) and inspect your sump pumps. Then you can check another two tasks off your January home maintenance plan!
Anticipate home appliance maintenance
While you need to clean the coils of your refrigerator at least once a year (usually more frequently), it’s also a good idea to make a list of the appliances that will need servicing. If you haven’t had your sump pump inspected in a few years or your refrigerator and dishwasher were installed more than five years ago, you can assume these appliances may need extra care this year and budget accordingly.
Review your family emergency plan
Whether it’s fire, hurricane, or tornado, having a home emergency plan is essential for making sure everyone in your home is safe during the most trying times. Test your family emergency plan at least twice a year to make sure everyone knows what to do. This may just save a loved one’s life.
Schedule your Virtual Home Checkup
An important part of any good home maintenance schedule is knowing what needs to be done. That’s where a Virtual Home Checkup comes in. One of our home experts will share home insights, money-saving and energy-efficiency tips and provide helpful, preventative maintenance recommendations – all on a 25-minute virtual call.
Book your Virtual Home Checkup now as part of your January home maintenance plan! (Do you subscribe to vipHomeLink? A VHC is a perk of a paid vipHomeLink membership!)
Decide on your home improvement projects
Are you finally going to put in the gourmet kitchen of your dreams? Perhaps it’s time to paint the exterior of your home or redo the siding. Maybe you want to finish your basement or just upgrade to a programmable thermostat.
As the new year begins, decide what projects you want to tackle, which ones you can tackle (budget-wise), and then choose when to start them. Some of these items – like painting the exterior of your home – are best done during a certain season, such as summer or fall, so it’s good to know that when deciding a start date.
Inspect your exterior
Your property and exterior crave attention, too. Always be on the lookout for foundation cracks and other warning signs (like a flooded basement) to tell you if you need to call a professional. Also, visually inspect your roof for any missing shingles and take note of any trees on your property that seem sickly or damaged. If you notice any of these issues, call the proper professionals to investigate.
Stay on top of your home maintenance plan
More than 22 million Americans admit to forgetting to complete routine home maintenance tasks, but vipHomeLink can help! Our home maintenance app sends you personalized reminders for home maintenance, including your monthly smoke detector test. The app’s vipTIPs give you expert home maintenance tips at your fingertips and help you know what to do and when to do it around the home.
Stay on top of home maintenance with vipHomeLink. Download the app today from Google Play or the App Store.
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