January Home Maintenance Checklist

Start your new year by making sure the curb appeal of your house is prime, including sprucing up your landscaping. This isn’t just for show: unwanted plants, pests and natural hazards can interfere with your home’s functionality. These tasks are easier (and less expensive) to complete in the colder months so that your home is ready to look its best when the weather warms again.

Landscaping

• Shrubs: clean up your shrubs by trimming and removing dead branches.
• Lawn: remove weeds, including in the flower beds. Patch up bald spots, reseed and fertilize any grass.
• Trees: trim trees and remove dead branches or trees that present a risk to the property. (It’s a good idea to have a registered arborist check for any ill trees or dead branches that could be missed by an untrained eye and escalate to become a hazard to people and property.) Removing dead trees is less expensive at this time of year, and if the ground is frozen, it’s less likely to interrupt surrounding vegetation. (If the ground is impermeable, stump removal can wait until spring.)

Home Care

• Check for pests, especially around the foundation or any wood near the ground level.
• Monitor water level in the boiler. Flush out the hot water heater to prevent sediment build-up.
• Check for water damage around windows, pipes and home foundation.
• Change HVAC and furnace filters every three months (quarterly on average, and more often if you have allergies, are frequently using the fireplace, have pets that shed, etc.). Make sure your heating system filters are in tip top condition for the season to ensure efficient and safe energy usage.