What is the meaning of home maintenance?

All content on this website, including dictionaries, thesauri, literature, geography and other reference data, is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, current and should not be used in place of a visit, consultation or advice from a legal professional, medical or any other professional. As a homeowner, in addition to making sure your home equipment looks good, home maintenance is incredibly important. It will usually involve things like doing minor repairs to equipment around the house, looking for leaks and cracks in walls and ceilings, floors, and wall paints.

If your property has any trees, have a certified arborist inspect them, who can check for signs of disease or dead branches and detect problems before they worsen and kill a tree. The untrained eye could miss signs of damage, and a dead or dying tree poses a danger to your safety, home, and neighboring properties. Even if you don't use the chimney regularly, the chimney still needs regular monitoring. A chimney transports hazardous gases from the fireplace, wood stove, or oven out of your home, helping to keep indoor air breathable.

According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, your chimney should be inspected annually and cleaned regularly based on how often you use it. Once the leaves fall, call your gutter company to clean and inspect them. Any repairs that need to be done to gutters or downspouts must be done before winter arrives. Your workers should also inspect the roof for loose or broken shingles.

Schedule work before heavy snow falls, which could leave frozen leaves and debris in gutters, faucets, and hoses. Before the first freeze, drain and turn off the outside faucets so they don't freeze. Roll up the hoses and store them for the winter. Have your oven and ducts serviced.

A clean system will be more energy efficient and an inspection will alert you to problems. Check and replace air filters, as needed. Test the thermostat to make sure it is working properly. Make sure the heater vents are open and that nothing blocks them.

If you didn't clean and inspect your chimney in the spring, call a chimney sweep now and do it before you start using your chimney or oven. Clothes dryers cause 2,900 fires a year, and many fires occur in the fall and winter, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Lint is a major cause, so you should have your dryer vent inspected and cleaned annually by an HVAC specialist who specializes in dryer vents or ducts.