Handy Homeowner: 4 Tasks That Need to Be Done Regularly

Most people who own a home spend a lot of time and money on it. Simple maintenance tasks can take hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours over the course of a year. But such tasks are a necessary part of owning a home. Here are four of the most important tasks that need to be done regularly.

HVAC Maintenance

Not only is your heating and air conditioning system one of the most important systems in your house, it’s also one of the most expensive to replace. Doing proper maintenance on it will help to prevent it from breaking down. Among the things you can do yourself are changing your filter, which needs to be done anywhere from one to four times a year, hosing off your compressor, which is the part of your air conditioner that sits outside. You also should have a professional HVAC technician do maintenance on your unit at least once a year.

Lawn and Landscape Care

Most houses have a lawn, and that provides one more task to take care of. Depending on where you live, you may need to care for your lawn anywhere from nine to 12 months out of the year. Lawn mowing is the most common task, and if you have a large lawn, you may want to look into buying a riding lawnmower to save you time and energy. Some companies, like Cox Mowers, know that you can usually buy one at any large home improvement store. Other landscape tasks you may have to do include trimming trees and shrubs and putting down landscape material such as mulch or rocks.

Snow Removal

If you live in an area that gets snow, you will have to remove it when it falls. Leaving snow on your walk or driveway for too long can open you up to liability if someone slips and falls. You can either hire someone to do it or do it yourself using a shovel or snow blower.

Cleaning Gutters

Your gutters and downspouts tend to get clogged with dirt and debris over time and need to be cleaned out periodically to ensure you get proper drainage when it rains. You often can clean them out just by spraying them with a garden hose, but if they are particularly clogged, you might have to use your hands or a shovel to remove debris.

These are just a few of the most common home maintenance tasks. There are many others. You will want to be sure you take maintenance into consideration when owning a home.