10 Essential Home Safety & Maintenance Tasks to Do Before Spring

Here’s a quick and essential look at home repairs every homeowner should review and accomplish before Spring has sprung, to enhance home safety and comfort as the warmer months arrive.

This Southern California girl making her home in Utah is ready for spring!

After the snows and storms of winter, it’s always a relief to know that Spring is on its way once more. Here in Utah, as in many parts of the country, winter has quite an effect on our homes. Because of this all those articles on the web for “getting your home ready for spring” are surprisingly applicable.

The gorgeous view from our backyard.

In my search to find helpful tips for both my own home and to share with you, I found these great helps from SERVIZ.

Spring Home Maintenance and Repair Checklist

SERVIZ put together an easy and convenient checklist of home maintenance and repair tasks to accomplish before Spring.

Inspect your windows, and around your windows, for leaks or cracks. Repairing these will not only increase home safety, but will save energy and improve your air quality, as well. Consider upgrading your doors and windows for added safety (and better air quality), as well.
Inspect your fences and gates, and mend or reinforce any weak spots you encounter. Doing so will not only discourage criminals but may potentially add property value, as well.
Inspect and replace your exterior lighting bulbs. This is vital for maintaining your home safety. A well-lit home is a safe home.
Inspect and clean your vents and ducts (you’ll need a professional handyman or service Pro to help with this particular task). This task is vital not only for your home’s air quality, and is essential if you have people in the house with allergies, but also to help prevent the buildup that can become a serious fire risk.
Check your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors for overall functionality, and replace batteries. Also check for the presence of sewer gases in your home.
Inspect your Air Conditioner to ensure that it’s in good shape for use. You’ll also want to clean or change your A/C filters at this time, as well. If you’re like me, you’ll find it helpful to schedule a reminder for when the A/C filters will next need to be changed.
Clean your gutters and downspouts, as the snows and storms of winter can commonly leave these blocked with leaves, branches, and other detritus.
Clean your carpets to freshen up for Spring and improve your overall air quality. It’s amazing what a difference a clean carpet can make to your everyday well-being.
Inspect key appliances and components around the home, from earthquake valves, to electrical panels (for correct sizing and wiring, overall electrical health, and more), to your hot water heater, stove, and other appliances. Be sure to ask for a careful look at your hot water heater’s strapping and venting when getting help from a Pro on this, especially in earthquake zones.
Check your Garage Door for proper auto shutoff sensors, as well as for worn-out springs.

These basic tasks can help to ensure that your home will be safer, cleaner, and more energy-efficient, and in great shape for Spring.

If you have any questions about how to accomplish these tasks, or how to find a Home Repair Professional to help you with them, you can look up professionals in your area using a home repair directory like SERVIZ.

How Safe is Your City?

While we’re on the topic of home safety, you can check out this Home Safety Rankings (HSR) Index to see how your metro area stacks up for safety against other cities nationwide.

I was a little surprised that my state only received a B rating (they didn’t have any ratings on metro areas in my state) , but I guess perhaps they have to average out the ratings between the suburbs and the cities. I’m pretty sure the suburb where we live is one of the safest areas I’ve lived. It is one of those idyllic places where most elementary school kids still ride their bikes or walk to and from school.

Yes, my awesome neighbor has a barrel ride! LOL. During the spring and summer months he takes the neighborhood kids on rides around the neighborhood. I love it!