A new season is upon us, which means it’s time to do some maintenance in your Florida home. The only problem is that you are not sure how to start it. Maintaining an entire house can seem like a daunting task, and most people who are not professionals have trouble doing this. Not to mention someone who just moved into their Florida home, and it’s their first time doing a maintenance checkup. And that’s where we come in. We are going to give you the ultimate guide to Florida home maintenance. And we are going to start at the beginning as if you just moved into your new home in Florida. Now let’s begin with our guide.
Our guide to Florida home maintenance
We will first give you a home maintenance checklist with issues that we think are the most important. Some of these things you will have to do monthly, some quarterly, and some annually. It is important that you stick to this list and be thorough. Skipping any of the items on this list can lead you to a disaster. From leaking to broken fire alarms, you can find yourself in big trouble if you are not prepared for:
Checking for leaks
Checking the alarms
Emergency supplies
HVAC systems
Start with decluttering and unpacking
Picture this, you moved into your new home, it’s been almost a month, and your things are packed and scattered everywhere. Before doing any serious maintenance checks, it’s important that your space is livable and decluttered. If you want to start off on the right foot, you need to stick to the room-by-room unpacking guide for beginners, which means starting with unpacking the bathroom essentials (toothbrushes, towels, soaps, etc.). Then make your way to the kitchen, where you will first unpack major appliances and then the rest. Leave the bedroom for the end. After that, it’s time to declutter. Get rid of all the packing boxes you brought your items in and the rest of the mess that you created by unpacking. If you can call a friend to help, you should get professional help.
Check for leaks
Now that you are officially unpacked and you have thrown the clutter out, you can start with a maintenance check. The first item in our guide to Florida home maintenance is checking for any leakage. Anybody who had issues with bad pipes and leaking in their home will tell you how big and frustrating that issue is. And how much worse it can get if you don’t take actions to fix it on time. Not to mention the financial burden of it all. The best-case scenario with leaking is that you get mold; the worst-case scenario is that your walls and floors get badly damaged. So, check all the pipes and faucets in your kitchen, bathroom, etc. And if you find any signs of leaking, immediately call the plumber. It’s vital that you react swiftly and efficiently before the problem grows.
Check your alarms
The next thing to take care of is the alarms in your house. This is especially important because it is directly tied to your safety. Having alarms that are not working properly can have disastrous consequences. First, check if your security alarm is working properly. If not, either call a professional to fix it if it’s repairable. If not, it’s better to get a replacement. Then check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. They usually need to have their batteries replaced every six months. When you checked all that, there is one more thing to do. And that is to see if your fire distinguisher is working properly. It may seem extreme, but when it comes to security measures, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Check emergencies supplies
Any Floridian will tell you that having an emergency kit and supplies is a must in this area. Mainly because of the hurricanes that occur in Florida. Your emergency kit should consist of your documents (insurance, medical records, bank documents, etc.), a first aid manual, sterile adhesives and bandages, antiseptic, gloves, and aspirin. Other essential items are flashlights, batteries, chargers, cash a list of phone numbers. Those are the things you can keep in your backpack. Now onto bigger general supplies. Keep food and water in your storage area—canned food, beverages, baby food, and anything that can last a long time. Many homes in Florida, used to emergencies, have a room or an area in the house where they keep these supplies. And according to experts at bigmansmoving.com, when they make local moves in Florida, the clients always request to relocate their emergency supplies as well. So as you can see, this is an important step in our maintenance guide.
Check your heating/cooling systems
The next thing on the maintenance list is your HVAC system. First, check if the filters need replacing. A good clean filter goes a long way in making the HVAC unit work better. In the winter, they need to be replaced every 30 to 90 days. Check if there are any frayed belts or pulleys. Inspect if everything is all right with wiring and electrical connections. This could be a possibly huge issue. Also, don’t forget the thermostat and the heat pumps. This is probably one of the items on our guide to Florida home maintenance that you should leave to the professionals.
In conclusion
This was our guide to Florida home maintenance. The items on our list are the ones we deem the most essential. There are others things you can do as well—cleaning the air vents, cleaning the gutters, inspecting the roof, etc. But the ones we mentioned should be done first, especially checking and replacing the alarms in your house. Safety should always come first. Leaking shouldn’t be ignored, either. Many people were financially ruined by the damage leaking done to their homes. But no matter the order you decide to do these things in, the most important thing is that you are thorough and efficient.
Comments