We are so glad you chose a Patterson home, and we know that sometimes maintaining a home can be really overwhelming. Sometimes the little projects pile up, and you just don’t know where to start or you are afraid you are leaving out something that is really important. Winter is the time to enjoy energy-efficient warmth and the fruits of your home-maintenance labors throughout the year. Here are some of our favorite tips for keeping your home in good shape in this season.
Outdoor Tasks:
- Walk around your home’s exterior and check the crawl space vents located at the foundation. Close any that are open.
- Have your heating unit serviced before it gets too cold and before a major winter event. Regular maintenance for these units goes a long way to keeping them running efficiently and effectively.
- Clean and store garden tools.
Indoor Tasks:
- Change or clean furnace filters. Consult manufacturer instructions for the furnace to determine how frequently the filters should be replaced.
- Clean kitchen appliances inside and out, including refrigerator coils. Once a year, a cold winter night is a great time to turn on your self-cleaning oven. It helps heat the whole house.
- Maintain clean drains by adding one-half-cup baking soda followed by one-half-cup white vinegar. After 10 minutes, flush with boiling water.
- Place floor mats and rugs at the entrances to protect your floors and absorb any ice or snow that gets tracked into the house.
- Check emergency supplies to make sure you have a stock of bottled water, nonperishable foods, flashlights and batteries. If you have a generator, make sure you have gas on hand to keep it running if needed.
- Check batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
We hope this list helps get you started. Remember that your new home came with a home warranty. So check your warranties to see what might still be covered. One of the advantages of building a new home is that you hopefully have less maintenance, and we hope it stays that way for a long time.