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Fall Home Maintenance – 20 Things to Add to Your Checklist This Year

What are you missing on your fall home maintenance checklist?

You have spent a lot of money on your home, and repairs are not usually cheap! As a homeowner you have many responsibilities outside of taking care of your lawn and paying your mortgage. Some of these responsibilities people aren’t even aware of, or have completely forgotten about! For those of you in our local community and in the Northern Illinois and Midwest regions, you know that you have to prepare a few things for seasonal changes. But do you know what those are?

Some maintenance and cleaning tasks to add to your fall home maintenance checklist includes:

  1. Raking leaves: this will prevent lawn damage and mold.
  2. Clean out gutters: clogged gutters can lead to roof and water damage if not checked and cleaned frequently.
  3. Turn off sprinkler systems: you do not want a pipe to burst! Be sure to turn off the sprinkler system before it starts to freeze. 
  4. Aerate and fertilize your lawn: getting this complete before the first frost will ensure your grass is ready to go come spring!
  5. Change furnace filters: these should be changed about every 3 months if not more frequently for those with allergies and pets.
  6. Cover and store outdoor furniture: furniture is expensive! Keep your outdoor furniture covered or stored away to avoid wear and tear.
  7. Winterize your yard: this includes pools and gardens!
  8. Clean your fireplace: start getting it ready for the season!
  9. Check your fire extinguishers and safety kit: where there’s fire, we always need safety measures!
  10. Check your smoke detectors: cover all your fire safety protocols!
  11. Clean out dryer lint: this may be something that happens during each load for some, but others truly forget and or don’t clean out their dryer lint. And, you guessed it, can cause a fire.
  12. Check window and door seals: this will help you determine what needs to be resealed or quickly replaced before winter hits. This is also a good way to ensure your heating bill doesn’t skyrocket from unknown gaps and holes.
  13. Go through your coat and boot storage: check and see what is too small or no longer something you will wear for the winter months. Consider donating them to a local shelter or school!
  14. Change the direction of your ceiling fans: many people forget that the ceiling fans can switch direction and help move air specifically for winter and summer months.
  15. Sell or purge unwanted decor: do you love holiday decorating, but each year you end up buying new? Now is the time to clean out your storage room!
  16. Fall cleaning: have you heard of spring cleaning? Try fall cleaning! What items in the home do you rarely clean or could use a deep clean every so often? Now is the time to do a quick run through of your home.
  17. Get your humidifier running: dryness hits fast in the winter months! Your body will thank you for the extra humidity.
  18. Double check your furnace: nothing is worse than your furnace going out right when you need it most. Give it a good inspection to know what to anticipate this winter. However, we all know there’s still always a surprise breakdown!
  19. Stock up on your winter supplies: winter creeps up on us, don’t wait to get your new shovel or salt for the driveway at 11pm the night before your first snow fall!
  20. Prepare the essentials: hot cocoa, fuzzy socks, heating blankets, and Lifetime movies!

If you are ready to get to work on that next home renovation project, contact us today!

Macktown Construction Group is currently serving the Northern Illinois and Stateline area for home remodels, home renovations, kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, commercial renovations, outdoor living renovations, home additions, garage renovations, basement renovations, and more.

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