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Due to the weather in many parts of the U.S., January's home maintenance tasks are often limited to indoor areas, as it’s usually more difficult to do outdoor projects like painting. Also, because you will probably be spending more time indoors during the colder parts of winter, keeping the inside of your home safe and comfortable should take priority.
Here are all the home maintenance tasks you should handle in the month of January.
In the winter, vents in your kitchen and bathroom can get a workout, with holiday cooking and houseguests adding to your regular use. Remembering to clean your vents, check or replace filters, and do any minor repairs that are needed are important steps to keeping your indoor air quality at healthy levels.
To perform maintenance on vents, you can unscrew the cover from the housing and vacuum the dust out of the slats. If you have a washable filter, you can remove it and follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning. If the air filter in the vent is a disposable type, you can replace it. While the vent cover is open, inspect the interior parts and check for any damage.
Once a year, it’s a good idea to check the caulking around your tub and sink. If you notice that it’s beginning to peel or develop cracks, it's a good idea to remove the old caulk with a putty knife and replace it. Using a tube of caulk and a five-in-one tool, seal around the edges of your sink, your tub, and between the tub and tile to keep water from getting onto your walls, running into cracks, and causing unseen damage. You can also opt for a caulk repair tool kit that comes with removal tools as well as shaping tools.
Given the convenience of using wireless internet and connected devices, it might not occur to you to update your device lists and passwords every once in a while. Let January be your time to take a few minutes to check your current list of connected devices to ensure that old devices you aren’t using don’t have access to your home internet, and also make sure that there aren’t any unfamiliar devices using your wifi. You should also take a moment to update passwords for your home internet and other connected devices to keep your network more secure. While these steps might seem small, they can help you to protect your personal data.
January is an excellent time to clear all the gunk out of dryer vents and washing machine drain filters. You might not even realize you have a filter for your washer’s drain until it gets clogged and backs up into a fresh load of laundry. Washers that drain onto a utility sink or basin often have a screen to prevent lint from clogging the drain. It can get full of lint and stop draining, so taking a second to empty it can save you a lot of hassle. Some washers also have a screen built into the drain mechanism that’s meant to be removed and cleaned; you can locate that on the back side of your washer, near where the water drains through the hose.
Your dryer vent should be inspected and cleaned out at least twice a year. This can be done by removing the connection from the dryer on the indoor end and the vent cover on the outdoor end and using a vent cleaning brush to remove any lint build-up from inside. When you’re finished cleaning it out, reattach the hose and the vent cover.
January is the perfect time to begin a home maintenance calendar if you don’t already have one. While home maintenance calendars used to be mostly paper files, you can also opt to keep a digital file. Your calendar can include important maintenance dates, like when your furnace filters need to be changed next, when you need to recharge your fire extinguishers, and your next planned chimney cleaning. Other items to include can be things like maintenance records and phone numbers for maintenance professionals so that you will have all the information you need in one place in case you need a repair.
Keeping track of filters and important cleanings will help you to plan ahead for maintenance and remember when it’s time to take care of certain chores.
