Summer Tips

Summer’s in full swing, and that means summer storms, heat, humidity, and air conditioning bills! Summer is a fantastic time to take advantage of the warm weather to get your house in shape and running smoothly, as well as tackling a number of summer specific home maintenance chores.

So while you're home being socially responsible, take the time to check off the following home maintenance tasks. You’ll enjoy the beach just that much more when you can go on vacation, knowing your home is safe and secure.

Here are just a few tips to get your home ready.

1. Check and Clean Your Fans. The blades on paddle ceiling fans tend to get dusty over time and keep churning that dust around in your room. To clean ceiling fan blades, secure a clothes dryer sheet to a paint roller with rubber bands, and use it to roll those dust-bunnies away!
2. Clean Bathroom Vent Fans. Bathroom ceiling vent fans can collect quite a bit of dust, which can makes them noisy and inefficient. To clean and maintain a bathroom vent fan, remove the cover, vacuum out any dust, and spray any moving parts with silicone lubricant to get your fan quietly humming once again.
3. Clean Your Clothes Dryer Vent Pipe. The accumulation of lint in the vent pipe and hose on clothes dryers causes 15,000 fires annually! To prevent a dryer vent fire in your home, it’s important to clean the dryer vent regularly. Start by removing the dryer hose and/or outside vent pipe cover, then clean the inside of the hose and pipe thoroughly with a special brush or vacuum cleaner. Also, make sure to clean the lint filter on your dryer every time you dry a load of clothes.
4. Clean or Replace Air Conditioner Filter. Replacing the air filter on your air conditioner every 1-3 months allows the system to run more efficiently and keeps the air in your home clean. It's easy to change an air conditioner filter by removing the cover of the air return, sliding out the old filter, and replacing it with a new one. If you suffer from allergies, this is a great time to upgrade to a high-performance allergen air filter for your home. If you're not sure where the air filter in your house is located, check out our article on How to Find a HVAC Air Filter.
5. Replace Water and Icemaker Filters. Replace disposable water filters on your water filtration system and/or icemaker as recommended by the manufacturer (usually every six months). This will keep mold and mildew from growing in the filter and keep your water clean, fresh, and flowing freely.
6. Hot Water Heater. Sediment buildup can shorten the life of a water heater and raise your energy bills, so it's a good idea to drain the water heater each year to remove sediment from the tank. Turn off the power (or gas) and water to the heater, attach a garden hose to the drain valve, and run the water outside. In addition inspect the water heater for leaks, make sure the vent pipe on gas water heaters is clear, and test the pressure relief valve to make sure it works and doesn't leak.
7. Look For Mold and Mildew. Summer heat and humidity can cause mold and mildew to grow on the outside of your home. To remove it, scrub with a diluted bleach solution or trisodium phosphate. Be sure to protect plants and shrubs before cleaning, and prune them away from the house to help prevent future mold growth.
8. Check Your Air Conditioner Drain Line. To prevent water from backing up in your home, it’s important in the summer to clean the AC drain line regularly with bleach. If the drain does become clogged, use a wet/dry shop vac to remove the clog, then pour a cup of bleach down the access pipe to kill anything else that might be growing in there.
9. Clean Your Grill. It's cookout time! Get ready for summer barbecues by cleaning and repairing the gas grill. Scrub the grates with liquid grill cleaner, and clean the burners and burner covers with a wire brush. You can also use vinegar and aluminum foil to clean a grill. Use a toothpick to clean the holes on the burners to ensure even cooking.
10. Inspect Your Crawl Space. Excess moisture in the crawl space under your home can cause mold, rot, and buckled wood flooring. Inspect the crawl space, floor joists, and any HVAC ductwork under your home for signs of moisture or condensation, and inspect foundation walls for leaks or seepage. Make sure to cover the crawl space with thick plastic to prevent moisture from coming up through the ground.
11. Patch Cracks and Holes in Your Driveway. Use concrete repair caulk or asphalt crack sealer to repair cracks in concrete or asphalt driveways. If your driveway is showing its age, you may want to pressure wash it, repair any holes, and then apply a concrete resurfacer or asphalt sealer to give it new life.
12. Prune Shrubs Around Your AC Unit. Air conditioning units and heat pumps require plenty of air circulation to work efficiently, so it's important to keep shrubs trimmed back away from the unit. Make sure there's at least 18” of room around the sides of the air conditioner, and three feet or more above the unit.