Home Maintenance Blog

6 Home Maintenance Chores to Tackle While Locked Down for COVID-19

Posted by Andrew Balfour on May 20, 2020 10:30:00 AM

The COVID-19 pandemic has most people stuck at home and feeling a bit bored. Why not make the best out of a bad situation? Take advantage of this time stuck at home and get ahead on some home maintenance tasks that will keep your home in good shape and help reduce your need for future repairs. The possibilities are endless, but here are seven tasks to get you started.

1. Check your smoke and CO detectors.

Your smoke and CO detectors both keep you safe, but they only work if they have good batteries! Take a few minutes to test all of the smoke and CO detectors in your home, and replace batteries in those that need it. 

2. Change your air filter.

Spring is pollen season. If someone in your home suffers from allergies, then you need to keep your indoor air nice and clean so they can breathe easy. Change your air filter to a fresh, clean one so you can be sure it’s catching as much pollen (and other debris like mold spores and dust) as possible.

3. Clean the fridge.

Most people do not clean their refrigerators nearly as often as they should. Take the time to give yours a thorough cleaning. Remove everything, and wipe the entire fridge out with some dish soap and water. If you come across any mold, wipe that area down with bleach water. Remove the shelves and drawers, and clean them separately in your sink or tub. Then, towel dry the fridge before putting the shelves and food back inside. 

4. Vacuum behind furniture.

It’s the perfect time to do a deep vacuuming. Move furniture away from the walls and vacuum behind it. Vacuum in those corners you usually neglect. You can even take the time to sprinkle some baking soda over the carpet, let it absorb odors, and then vacuum it up.

5. Clean your drains.

The best time to clean drains is before they start smelling, and before they start backing up. You can pour some boiling water down each drain; this will rinse away most grease and soap scum. If you really want to do a deep cleaning, pour warm vinegar and baking soda down the drain. Let it bubble up for a while before rinsing it away.

6. Clean the gutters.

If your gutters are not so high up that you feel unsafe climbing a ladder up to reach them, then this is the perfect time of year to clean them out. You’ll get all of the leaves out of the way in preparation for those April showers! Simply pull the leaves and gunk out with a trowel, or even with your hands. Rinse the gutters with clean water, and you’re set to go.

This COVID-19 outbreak is truly unfortunate, but as the saying goes, you can take those lemons and make lemonade! Spend this time at home being productive and tackling the home maintenance tasks above. Then, when the stay-at-home orders are lifted, you can get back out there knowing that your home is in great shape.

Topics: COVID-19 Policies, Home Maintenance Management

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