March Home Maintenance

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March is a great time to assess your home and make any necessary repairs. Making your home ready for spring and summer is important and can be done with just a few steps:

• Improve curb appeal: Wash your front door and front porch/steps. Repaint/stain your front door if needed and repaint your porch steps and railing with durable deck paint.
• Inspect the roof: Check your roof for any debris that has accumulated and examine the metal seals around chimneys, skylights, etc. for rust or holes.
• Make sure there is no water under your home: Your home should be dry underneath even during wet weather so if you do find water, check for any leaks. You may need to hire a professional to assist you in locating the leaks and repairing them.
• Clean the garbage disposal: Pour one cup of vinegar into an ice cube try and fill it up the rest of the way with water. Pop the tray into the freezer. Once the cubes are frozen, put a couple of them down into the garbage disposal and then turn it on. The vinegar cubes will loosen grease and other debris and will clean the disposal.
• Get rid of bathroom and kitchen odors: Check these rooms for any cracks in caulk or grout and repair those areas. Check your appliances for plumbing leaks; look around sinks, bathtubs, toilets, washers, dryers, etc. for moisture.
• Save water: Now is a good time to invest in low cost ways to cut down on water usage in your home. Many older toilets hold way more water than necessary for flushing, so displacing some of that water in the tank will reduce your water use. For a simple DIY fix, take a half-gallon plastic milk jug, fill it with water and add small stones to the bottom. Place the jug into the tank, being careful to avoid any working parts. 
• Aerators: In order to save water while using your kitchen and bath faucets, you can install an Aerator which mixes air into the water. This allows the water pressure to still be good while saving water at the same time. Aerators can be screwed right onto the faucet tip and are very inexpensive, costing only around $2-$3 at your local hardware store.