6 Home Maintenance To-Do’s for Spring Cleaning Season

Now that spring is (finally!) on the way, we’re turning our thoughts to the cleaning and home maintenance tasks that are nearest and dearest to our hearts: The ones that save you from filing an insurance claim!

Home maintenance isn’t just a nice-to-do. It’s completely essential for preventing costly damage to your property. Spend time on these small fixes -- They’ll add up to major savings in the long run.

1. Examine your roof: Both your tiles and your chimney need some attention every spring. Don’t just take a quick look for missing shingles. Thoroughly inspect both the roof covering and the flashing around skylights and vents for damage or buckling. Your chimney flashing should also be damage-free. Check the bricks for cracks, and turn over the cleaning of your flue to a pro so that it’ll be ready for a roaring fire come autumn.
2. Eavestroughs: A happy home starts with clean gutters. Removing leaves and debris keeps rainwater draining away from your home. Preventing water damage is getting more important every year, as the number of claims are on the rise.
3. Landscaping: While you’re shopping for beautiful flowers and shrubs for the garden, don’t forget to pick up some compacted soil. If there are low areas in your lawn or near the foundation of your house, you’ll want to fill those in as soon as possible. We’ve already seen some flooding in Ontario this spring, so hop to it! Prevention is better than cure where a flooded basement is concerned. Also, pools of water in your lawn are great breeding grounds for insects. Removing pools of water means fewer bites out of your plants (or your arms!)
4. Foundation: When you’re planting those flower beds, don’t forget to take a look at your concrete foundation. Any cracks should be filled in with a silicone filler, and giving the foundation a power wash and sealant treatment will prevent future cracks from forming.
5. Firewood: If you keep firewood stacked near your exterior walls, consider moving it at least a few feet away. Literally adding extra fuel to a house fire, wood and other flammable materials in your yard should be kept well away.
6. KonMari your garage: If you’ve discovered the life-changing magic of tidying up, then it’s time to take a second look at your garage. If you have any flammable or hazardous materials that you don’t need in your home, dispose of them safely. Your family will be safer for it!