While not an exhaustive home maintenance checklist these items will serve as a great starting point for getting your home in tip top shape.
Dehumidifier Maintenance
Dehumidifiers don’t need much in the way of maintenance, but there is some work to do. Specifically, if your machine has an air filter, you’re going to want to clean it out ever couple of months. These machines work by taking in air, removing the water molecules, and recirculating the same air. But if there is dust in the air, the filter can get clogged and it can make it harder for the machine to keep up. All you need to do is remove the filter, clean it with your hand or a vacuum, reinstall it, and you’re done.
Water Softener Maintenance
The first step in maintaining your water softener is to break up any bridging that has built up. Bridging occurs when there is a lot of moisture in the air and the pellets start to stick together, making them less effective. Break it up by taking any sharp and long object, and working it down into the pellets. Once you’re done, go ahead and add some new pellets to the machine. The last step is to put your machine through an Iron Out cycle. Mix a cup of Iron Out with a couple of quarts of water and pour it directly into the brine well. Once the mixture is in the brine well, run a recharge cycle, and you’re good to go.
Changing Your HVAC Filter
While the recharge is running, it’s a good time to install a new HVAC filter. The filter that you need may be different from mine, but I use a 16x25x4 MERV 8 filter. The rate at which you’re meant to switch these out depends on the thickness of your filter, I change mine every 6-9 months. I last did this in October, so I’m going to do it today to get us through the summer and then I’ll do it again in the fall.
These projects aren’t summer-specific, but doing them once in the fall and once in the spring ensures that I’m good all summer and all winter. The installation of the HVAC filter is a bit more challenging since I have to climb into what is effectively a crawl space to swap it out, but it’s still manageable.
Cleaning Out Dryer Vents
Next, we’ll turn to our dryer vent cleaning kit in order to clear out any extra lint build up in the exhaust vent. For this you’ll use any drill that you have, and the associated cleaning kit, and run the brush (while engaging the trigger of the drill) up and down the exhaust tubing. Once you’ve gotten the majority of the lint removed, go ahead and run your dryer for a few seconds to blow out any last lint pieces that were loosened up in the previous step.
Air Conditioner Maintenance
Lastly, I’ll uncover and clean my air conditioning unit. Be sure to cut power to the unit beforehand, then remove the blade cover. I like to vacuum out the appliance using my Ryobi Wet/Dry Vac, and then hosing it down. Be sure not to use a pressure washer here, as you do not want to bend the fins of the machine.
In conclusion, these are just a few items to checkoff your spring home maintenance checklist to get your house ready for summer.
