Taking care of your home and car is an ongoing and long-term commitment that will ensure the full use of both. Simply checking the paint of your walls every so often or taking your car for a tune-up once a year isn’t enough—you need comprehensive preventative maintenance if you want your house and car to be valuable for long. After all, preventing issues and problems is far better than dealing with them later.
In this article, we’ll look at home care and maintenance as well as auto repair prevention services you need to be aware of. You can use the advice shared here to make your own unique checklist of services you need so you can take good care of your car and home so they don’t lose their value as quickly, but actually become more reliable and valuable over time. We’ll start with home maintenance and make our way to auto maintenance.
1. Seal Leaky Doors and Windows
Doors and windows that aren’t sealed properly can let in cold and hot air, sending your utility bills through the roof. That’s why it’s important that you closely inspect your windows and doors and find any problematic areas. Weatherproofing strips can come in quite handy for this purpose, but gap fillers can also do a great job at sealing your doors and windows.
2. Clean the Gutters
Your gutters are supposed to lead water away from your house, and when they get clogged with debris like sticks or leaves, water will get trapped instead. This trapped water can damage the outside of your house as well as the inside, so regularly checking that there’s no clogging is a wise decision. If you’re experiencing snowy weather, you should also check up on your gutters or get gutter services to help keep damage to a minimum.
3. Change Furnace Filters
Your home’s air conditioning and heating will work at their best if you do comprehensive preventative maintenance of their filters. Dirty filters can make air conditioners perform way worse, and your heating will be below expectations. Depending on how much you use your furnace, you’ll have to clean or change the air filters every few months for the best results.
4. Replace Broken Doors and Windows
Your home isn’t damage-proof, even if you do take good care of it, and you’ll occasionally have to replace broken windows or doors. You should check your windows for cracked panes, and areas where putty should be reapplied. Your doors, especially the ones made of wood, can rot, so don’t neglect them when you’re inspecting your house for deterioration.
5. Inspect Your Roof
A home’s roof is often one of the most neglected areas, so damage can go unnoticed for a long time. You should take good care of your roof and hire residential roofing contractors to inspect it and make sure there are no damaged or missing tiles. If they do find anything that needs to be repaired, make sure they get it done as soon as possible. It’s also a good idea to regularly clean away any debris that has gathered over time on your roof.
6. Check the Chimney(s)
If you have a fireplace, or multiple fireplaces, in your home, you need to inspect the chimneys and clean them regularly. Check for leaks and blockages when sweeping your chimney so you don’t miss anything. You may have to call in a reliable masonry service to help you out and do chimney repairs if you’ve noticed damage you can’t sort out on your own.
7. Paint Often
Effective and comprehensive preventative maintenance of your home means you’ll have to regularly paint your walls. This counts for interior as well as exterior walls. Paint gives your home a protective layer against the elements while also looking good. You’ll be able to protect metal areas from rust and wooden areas from rotting and give your home a new look. It’s a win-win situation.
8. Inspect Walls and Ceilings
We can’t discuss comprehensive preventative maintenance without mentioning the importance of inspecting your walls and ceilings for cracks and damp areas. If you notice any cracks, fill them in and monitor them for any problems that may require more drastic treatment in the future. Water stains are never a good sign, so if you find any on your ceiling, investigate immediately and react appropriately.
9. Seal Your Patio
Your patio and decks need to be properly sealed so they’re protected against the elements. It’s possible that you’ll have to reseal your patio and any decks you have regularly to ensure they stay protected. While you’re resealing, you can investigate the wood for rot and insect infestations that may have happened regardless of the good care you’re giving your home.
10. Replace Rotted Trim
Another important element that is often overlooked when it comes to comprehensive preventative maintenance is the wood trim that doors, windows, rooflines, and corners of homes have. These trims have a functional purpose in addition to looking nice—they’re meant to keep water from seeping into the corners of your house. However, you need to take good care of them and check on them to ensure they’re not rotting.
11. Don’t Forget the Fixtures
While you’re maintaining the rest of your home, make sure you don’t forget about the fixtures in areas like the bathroom and kitchen. Your toilets may need to be resealed and secured to the floor again, the bathroom may need grouting, and washers may require replacement. These small things can turn into big problems if left unchecked.
12. Check for Cracked Driveways and Pavements
Your driveways and pavements are constantly exposed to the elements, so it’s only natural that they’ll start to crack eventually. Wear and tear is unavoidable, but you should still take good care of your driveway and pavements. It’s a good idea to hire an asphalt company to inspect and fix your driveway professionally. If necessary, also identify problem areas that are causing water to run toward your home and fix this problem.
13. Care For Your Trees
While your trees can make your yard look and feel lovely, they can pose a big problem if not cared for properly. When it comes to comprehensive preventative maintenance, you can’t overlook the importance of working with tree removal services to sort out problematic trees that could cause damage to your property or the properties around you if a bad storm should hit.
14. Give the House a Wash
You may not think so, but giving your house a nice bath when spring rolls around is actually a good idea. You can wash the ‘winter’ away by giving your home a good scrub. Remember, your house can get grimy on the outside and this can lead to damage to your paint, so a spring exterior cleaning is not a bad idea at all.
15. Maintain HVAC Systems
You have to schedule annual system checkups and servicing for your HVAC systems. It’s important that an expert comes in to check for any signs of damage and give your system a good, thorough cleaning. This kind of comprehensive preventative maintenance will save you a lot of money on future repairs.
16. Take Care of the Plumbing
We all know that taking good care of our home’s plumbing is essential—calling in drain cleaning services to sort out issues is never fun. It can be costly, so make sure you’re always taking good care of your plumbing. If necessary, you may have to call in the help of a septic service provider to give your plumbing issues the attention they need. It’s not pleasant, but it’s necessary.
17. Inspect Your Sump Pump
You need to check your sump pump to ensure it’s draining properly, especially when spring brings a lot of rain to your area. Don’t wait until a rainstorm, or worse, snowstorm, hits, and your pump’s motor stops working.
18. In-Home Safety
Your in-home safety should also be checked often to prevent serious problems and hazards. Make sure that your carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms are working as they should, and keep your safety alarms and cameras up to date. Change the batteries of your alarms at least once a year and have spares ready just in case.
19. Get Rid of Bugs and Pests
Bugs and pests are not only unsightly and gross, but they’re also unhealthy and can bring bacteria and diseases into your home. Regularly check for pests and bugs and call in an exterminator to sort them out. If you have problems with mice and ants, rather get professional help than rely on home remedies that will probably not work.
20. Stay Propane-Fueled
Running out of propane gas can actually be dangerous, so this is an important point of discussion when it comes to comprehensive preventative maintenance. Running out of gas can lead to explosions or fires, so always make sure you’re fully stocked. Also, hire a propane company to inspect all your gas appliances and ensure they’re in good working condition and safe to use.
21. Remember Specialized Services and Care
If you have any special features in your home or yard, you’ll need specialized services to take care of them. For example, if you’re lucky enough to be a private well owner, you have to contact well pump services to inspect your well and pump at least twice a year to prevent problems.
22. Oil and Filter Change
We’re now moving away from the home and yard to talk about comprehensive preventative maintenance of your car. Regular oil and filter changes are essential, and you need to change the oil every 3,000 to 12,000 miles and check your filter while you’re at it.
23. Tire Rotation
Wear and tear of tires are unavoidable, but if you regularly go for tire rotation, this wear can be spread evenly across the tires, and they’ll last longer. You need to make sure that the people you trust with this job are experienced and skilled because you’re essentially putting your life in their hands.
24. Wheel Alignment
You want your car to be safe when you’re driving down long, windy roads and wheel alignment is one of the best ways to ensure safety. You’ll be driving straight, as you’re meant to, and need to align your wheels every thousand miles to be certain the alignment is as correct.
25. Wiper Blades Replacement
Seeing properly is extremely important while driving, so regularly maintaining your car’s wiper blades is something you shouldn’t ever neglect. This is especially important if you live in an area where it doesn’t rain often—if you’re not using them, you may forget that they need to be replaced every other year.
26. Engine and Cabin Air Filter Replacement
Your engine and cabin air filters have to ensure your car has clean, breathable air while you’re using it. The cabin air filter prevents contaminants like dust, smog, and pollen from entering your passenger cabin, and the engine filter has to keep debris out of the engine. Both filters are essential and should be inspected regularly and replaced as necessary.
27. Brake Fluid Exchange
Driving a car and not inspecting and exchanging the brake fluid is very irresponsible and should be something you’re constantly checking on. Your car’s braking performance depends on the brake fluid, and although it doesn’t need changing as often as other car fluids, you should still keep a close eye on it.
28. Spark Plug Replacement
Last, but certainly not least, you need to check your car’s spark plugs and replace them if necessary. These little guys have an important role to play in your car and if they don’t work as they should, you’re not driving anywhere!
Comprehensive preventative maintenance can be quite a lot of work, but when you’re enjoying the benefits of such careful care, you’ll understand the value of this kind of maintenance. It’s a long-term commitment, but your well-taken care of home and car is worth all the time and money you’ll have to invest.