December Maintenance Guide

12/7/2015 (Permalink)

December Maintenance Guide

Keep up with these home maintenance tips to ensure a safe and healthy home this season.

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If the chill of December is making your home cold, you’ll want to make sure your winterizing tasks are being completed this month. This can include insulating the plumbing so that your pipes don’t freeze, sealing out drafts, and making sure your home is protected from the elements. Another great December focus is to prevent accidental fires by thoroughly cleaning out your dryer ducts, being smart about fireplace safety and keeping a fire extinguisher in your kitchen in the event of a grease fire. If you decorate your home for the holidays, remember to hang your lights safely and be cautious when climbing ladders, especially in wet or slippery conditions. Keeping your home safe and secure this month will ensure that you are able to enjoy the season!

Inside the home:

• Untangle and inspect holiday lights. Watch our videos for how to choose the right lights for your home, how to safely hang them, and how to store them without getting them tangled.
• Schedule a professional carpet cleaner to take care of post-party spills and stains after the holidays
• Inspect and clean humidifiers for better air indoor quality
• Schedule an attic insulation specialist to make sure your home is operating efficiently this winter. (Want to know if you could do this project yourself? Read this article here.)
• Check the fire extinguishers and make sure you have at least one in the kitchen and near the fireplace. Read this article to learn more about what types of extinguishers to buy and where they should go in your home.
• Test your GFCI outlets
• Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors
• House too cold? Try reversing the ceiling fans to push warm air down, stop drafts at doors and windows, and try laying down rugs over cold flooring to save money on heating costs.
• Call and schedule a professional home organizer to ensure a clutter-free 2016

Outside the home:

• Have de-icers and shovels ready to keep sidewalks and driveway clear of slippery ice and snow (see all of our snow-removal tips here)
• Check your gutters for ice dams or icicles
• Inspect the backup generators in the event of winter power outages