Winter home maintenance checklist

Water damage is the #2 home insurance claim.

Lint is the top cause of dryer fires.

Sediment shortens its life and saps efficiency.

A burst hose floods the laundry in minutes.

A dead detector is just a wall ornament.

The rod rusts so the tank doesn't. Spent, and the tank's next.

The alarm that has to work when it counts.

The day you need it is a bad day to find it dead.

Useless if it's empty when the pan catches.

A silent leak quietly runs up the water bill.

Clears the gunk that makes clothes smell.

A snapped spring is a heavy, dangerous fix.

Old filters stop filtering anything.

An untested generator won't start in the outage.

Invisible, and the #2 cause of lung cancer.

The thing that cuts a shock near water.

Seized valves are useless in a burst-pipe panic.

Spills and old food breed bugs that grow in the cold.

Scale chokes the screen, and lead can collect in it.

Worn sealer lets the grout drink water and grow mold.

Baked-on grease smokes, taints food, and catches fire.

A frosted-up freezer runs harder and stores less.

Hair and grease build up until a plumber's the only fix.

Cracked sealant lets water behind the tile to rot.

Dusty coils make the fridge work harder.