Home maintenance checklists
Every home needs the same boring upkeep, just on different schedules. Here's what to do, how often, and what it costs you to forget. Sorted by season, or by the part of the house it lives in.
By season
Spring home maintenance checklist
Winter's done chewing on the place. Spring is for finding what it broke and getting the outside ready before the heat arrives. Here's the list, with how often each job actually needs doing.
15 jobs
Summer home maintenance checklist
The warm-weather jobs and the keep-it-running ones. Long evenings are good for the outdoor projects you keep putting off, and the machines inside still want a look.
11 jobs
Fall home maintenance checklist
The big one. Everything you do now is something that won't burst, freeze or seize when it turns cold. Get ahead of winter while the weather still lets you.
16 jobs
Winter home maintenance checklist
Stuck inside anyway, so it's the indoor and safety jobs' turn. The detectors, the valves, the quiet leaks. Small things that matter most on the worst possible day.
17 jobs
By part of the house
Safety maintenance checklist
The jobs that earn their keep on the day something goes wrong. Boring right up until they're not.
6 jobs
HVAC & air maintenance checklist
Filters, fans and services. Keep the air moving so the system isn't working harder, and your bills aren't either.
5 jobs
Plumbing maintenance checklist
Water is patient and water is expensive. These are the jobs that keep it where it belongs.
10 jobs
Appliances maintenance checklist
The machines you lean on without thinking. A little upkeep buys a lot more life out of them.
5 jobs
Exterior maintenance checklist
The shell that takes the weather so you don't. Catch the small stuff out here before it gets inside.
11 jobs
Seasonal maintenance checklist
The jobs tied to the calendar, the ones where doing them late defeats the point. Also grouped by season: spring, summer, fall and winter.
11 jobs
How often should you…
Every job, with a straight answer on how often it needs doing.
- How often should you test your smoke and CO detectors?
- How often should you replace your detector batteries?
- How often should you check your fire extinguisher?
- How often should you clean your dryer vent?
- How often should you test your GFCI outlets?
- How often should you test your home for radon?
- How often should you replace your HVAC filter?
- How often should you service your furnace?
- How often should you service your air conditioner?
- How often should you clean your bathroom exhaust fans?
- How often should you clean your range hood filter?
- How often should you flush your water heater?
- How often should you test your sump pump?
- How often should you refill your water softener salt?
- How often should you replace your fridge water filter?
- How often should you test your shut-off valves?
- How often should you check under your sinks for leaks?
- How often should you inspect your washing machine hoses?
- How often should you check your toilets for silent leaks?
- How often should you pump your septic tank?
- How often should you test your well water?
- How often should you vacuum your refrigerator coils?
- How often should you clean your dishwasher filter?
- How often should you clean your garbage disposal?
- How often should you clean your washing machine?
- How often should you lubricate your garage door?
- How often should you clean your gutters?
- How often should you have your chimney swept?
- How often should you reseal your deck?
- How often should you clear your window wells?
- How often should you pressure-wash your siding?
- How often should you touch up your exterior caulk?
- How often should you check your roof?
- How often should you check your foundation grading?
- How often should you prune the trees off your house?
- How often should you wash your windows and swap the screens?
- How often should you seal your driveway?
- How often should you winterize your outdoor faucets?
- How often should you fertilize your lawn?
- How often should you cover your air conditioner?
- How often should you check your weatherstripping?
- How often should you reverse your ceiling fans?
- How often should you test your backup generator?
- How often should you open your pool for the season?
- How often should you close your pool for winter?
- How often should you test your pool chemistry?
- How often should you start up your sprinklers?
- How often should you blow out your irrigation system?