As a seasonal homeowner in South Florida, you enjoy wonderful subtropical winters. But, did you know that winter is the best season to begin preparing your home for summer? Now is the time for you to review a home maintenance checklist to ensure you are ready for summer. For instance, resealing your home’s exterior walls and windows in the winter can improve your South Florida home’s temperature and humidity levels in the summer. Points like this are especially important if you leave your South Florida home vacant during the hot and rainy summer months.
Here is a simple home maintenance checklist to guide you through the year so that you can keep your house in South Florida on a healthy track to maintaining its market value.
Each Month
Clean the drains to prevent water backup/flooding and odors in your South Florida home.
Here is an effective economical and eco-friendly method:
Pour a pot of boiling water down your drain
Dump in about 1/2 cup baking soda and let that sit for a few minutes
Pour a mixture of 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup very hot water down the drain over the baking soda and let sit for 5-10 minutes
Flush one more time with a pot of boiling water
Spring
Check outdoor air conditioner equipment. Remove any debris, trash, or leaves that may have landed on or near the condenser unit. Trim any plant or tree growth away from the outdoor AC unit. Schedule a pre-summer maintenance appointment with a reputable technician
Examine roof shingles
Check and clean gutters
Fill concrete cracks
Check outside faucets and hoses for cracks or leaks
Change air conditioner filters to keep pollutants out of your home
Test Smoke Alarms and replace batteries if the test button does not activate
Summer
Inspect decks, stairs, or other wooden structures for rot or termite damage. If you have a deck by a seawall or boat dock, be sure to maintain it before hurricane season to prevent small damage from becoming worse.
Weatherproof wooden surfaces every year or two to provide further protection
Change air conditioner filters to keep pollutants out of your South Florida home.
Fall
Clean garbage disposal
Inspect appliances, (dishwasher, stove, and refrigerator), to ensure they are working properly. If you have a service agreement for any of these appliances, make an appointment.
Schedule a post-summer maintenance checkup for your AC system. It worked very hard during the South Florida summer.
Inspect the attic for signs of moisture
Change air conditioner filters to keep pollutants out of your South Florida home
Test Smoke Alarms and replace batteries if the test button does not activate
Winter
Reseal exterior walls and windows as needed
Look for indications of infestation
Change air conditioner filters to keep pollutants out of your home.
South Florida Home Watch
If you will be gone for the summer season, how do you plan to maintain your home in South Florida? Hiring a professional home watch service In South Florida like Safe Home Management is the best way to ease your burden. A South Florida Home Watch company can save you a lot of time, money, and aggravation by serving as your eyes and ears while you are away. In addition to monitoring the condition of your home, Safe Home Management can regularly report on the status of lawn care, pool care, other services you have hired to give you total peace of mind that your South Florida home is being well-maintained, both inside and out.
To learn more, visit our website at www.safehomemanagement.com and call today at 561.888.9860 or email us at safehomemanagement@hotmail.com for a free in-home consultation.
Visit our blog page for other maintenance tips for your home in South Florida.
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