The holidays are a time of joy and celebration, but they can also be a time of stress. After all the preparations and festivities, many of us are left with a mess to clean up. Not to worry, though. With these tips, you can do post-holiday home maintenance the right way.
1. Give your place a deep clean
Post-holiday home maintenance doesn’t have to be difficult. Sometimes, all it takes is one good cleaning session to restore things back to their original condition. This includes vacuuming, mopping, dusting, and even some heavy scrubbing activities in the kitchen. Be sure not to miss any spots.
2. Give your appliances a thorough checkup
A clean house doesn’t mean much if you’re not using working appliances to keep it that way. Your refrigerator and other kitchen appliances may need a bit of TLC after enduring high heat and humidity levels during the holidays. They should be checked before the season gets underway again. You should also check for any worn or loose belts on your vacuum cleaners and give them a thorough inspection before starting to do any cleaning.
3. Schedule an appointment with the exterminator (if necessary)
If you’ve had a warm and welcoming home during winter, there’s no doubt that pests were probably invited in, too. After all, they’re just looking for warmth and shelter just like we are. If it’s possible that some unwanted guests could still be around after all these months cooped up together, then call your local pest control service right away to schedule an appointment before they find their way back inside of your home.
4. Make sure the appliances stay on track
It may seem odd, but some appliances require more attention than others this time of year—namely, air conditioning units and humidifiers. These two especially need annual maintenance because they’re often neglected throughout the rest of the year. If you haven’t had yours checked in a while, now is a great time to call in some professionals before things get uncomfortable.
5. Check your carpet
Carpet is another item that tends to receive little attention during winter. Still, it can actually benefit from proper post-holiday home maintenance activities like deep cleaning and carpet cleaning services. This will help rid it of any allergens or stains that might still be lurking about while keeping it at its best for when company comes over later on down the road. Now’s also an excellent time to look into carpet protection services if you’ve got pets at home who are prone to accidents or muddy paws on rainy days.
6. Don’t forget your garage door
Most people don’t give their garage doors much attention until something goes wrong, but maintaining them is essential for keeping everything in working order. If you’ve used it a lot throughout the year, then consider having it lubricated by professionals for safety and all-around protection against wear and tear.
7. Turn off your home’s water supply valves
Whenever there are copious amounts of snow accumulated on roofs or roads during winter, that means there’s likely a lot of melted ice seeping into nearby water systems, which can cause major problems afterward when things get warmer again. One way to avoid this problem is by turning off both the main located under your crawl space or anywhere else you can find it (if it’s not readily visible).
8. Test the smoke detectors
There’s nothing like knowing your family is safe during winter, and one way to do that is by making sure all of your smoke detectors are still working properly. Now would be an excellent time to check them over thoroughly for any signs of trouble—including dead batteries. You should also consider adding additional detectors that better suit your needs, especially if you’ve got pets who roam around frequently or rooms where combustion happens regularly.
9. Work out those kinks
If yours is a carpeted area, then chances are you may have carpet-related issues developing now after months spent sleeping in front of the fireplace or enjoying long winter naps. This is the perfect time to get them worked out before they worsen or turn into potential hazards. You don’t need to part with a lot of money to resolve these carpet-related problems either—often, carpet-related issues can be solved by carpet stretching services alone.
10. Treat your lawn after winter’s abuse
It’s no secret that winter takes a toll on outdoor areas all around us, including our lawns, when it comes to leaving things untouched for months at a time. This is why it’s essential to perform post-holiday home maintenance tasks like fertilizing and aerating to prepare for its inevitable growth come springtime. Also, think about how you’re going to take care of this area in the coming months and take note of any lawn care services that will be needed.
Keeping your home—and everything in it—in excellent condition is a must no matter the time of year, but especially during chilly winter months. By keeping up with home maintenance tasks like carpet cleaning, testing smoke detectors and storing fire extinguishers, taking care of outdoor areas, and checking water valves, you can keep your home in excellent condition come springtime.
