As a homeowner, cleaning and servicing items around your house are extremely important when it comes to keeping your home up and running efficiently. By taking the proper precautions with your home and having a service technician perform routine tune-ups, you can extend the life of the HVAC units in your home and save money down the road. There’s no better time to give your home a little TLC than in the spring when the cold winter months are dwindling away and your house is getting ready for the warmer weather of the summertime. The following are 10 spring cleaning tips to get your home ready for the changing weather.
1. Clean and Inspect Your AC
As spring approaches, it is very important for you to take the necessary steps to ensure that your air conditioner is working properly before the hot weather hits this summer. The first step is to check that you have a fresh air filter installed in your HVAC system. Spending a little extra on the high-rated allergen filters is worth it to help reduce allergens and other particles in your home. This way, you can relax knowing that you and your family are breathing in clean, healthy air. Additionally, be sure to check the drain hole located on your air conditioning unit. If the hole appears to be damaged or clogged with debris, call one of our professionals at Wade Heating, Cooling, & Geothermal so that we can help get your system running smoothly and efficiently.
2. Clean Around Your Condenser
Not to be forgotten is the actual air conditioner condenser that sits outside your home. As the condenser sits outside and is exposed to the elements, the unit can often become clogged with dirt, leaves, grass clippings, and other debris. When this happens, airflow in the unit can be drastically reduced, causing the unit to work harder and costing you more money to operate the system. A simple walk around your unit can tell you if it is being blocked by debris. If you are still having issues, Wade Heating, Cooling, & Geothermal is available 24/7 to service and install HVAC units to ensure that you are ready for the summer heat.
3. Repair Window and Door Screens
As the weather warms, it is important to make any repairs needed to the window and door screens around your home. After your windows and doors have been shut for the long winter months, rips and tears in your screens can easily happen. When the warm weather hits and you want to let fresh air into your home – repairing the screens will prevent any unwanted debris, allergens, or pesky insects from getting into your home. Repair kits for screens are available at most home goods stores and are fairly simple to use to make the repairs.
4. Inspect Windows and Doors
Inspecting the windows and doors in your home is important come spring. By inspecting your windows and doors, you’ll be able to see if you are losing air from the inside through any potential leaks. If you notice any issues, adding new caulking or weather stripping to the window or door will help save you money in the long run by keeping comfortable air inside your home as well as preventing outside air from entering.
5. Clean Your Dehumidifier
If you run a dehumidifier in your home during the humid summer months, the springtime is a great time to clean the entire unit. Luckily, dehumidifier units can often be disassembled with ease to clean and air dry them. Then, you can vacuum out the entire unit to free it of any dust and debris and ensure that the air it puts out during the coming months will be as clean and refreshing as possible for you and your family.
6. Clean Your Bathroom Fans
The fans in your bathrooms can collect all sorts of unwanted dust and debris particles throughout the year. Fortunately, spring is the perfect time to ensure that they are clean and running properly. Before cleaning the fans, it is important to first turn off the power running to them. Then, once unpowered, they can be cleaned by simply removing the cover and washing it with soap and warm water. After that, while letting the cover dry, the fan blades can be dusted off and scrubbed down. Once the cover is dry, the unit can easily be reassembled and turned back on for a clean, running fan.
7. Clean All Sink Faucets
Make sure to give your faucets a little attention this spring. Cleaning your faucets is made easy by simply taking apart the faucet and cleaning out the screens by dipping them in a rust remover, rinsing them off, and allowing them to air dry. Furthermore, using rust remover around any of the internal screws also ensures that the faucet will remain working properly into the future. If any of your faucets need more than just a routine cleaning, Wade Heating, Cooling, & Geothermal can repair and replace any faucet fixture to ensure that you have clean, refreshing water in your home.
8. Clean Air Ducts in Your Home
Ductwork is what carries the heated or cooled air throughout your home. Therefore, it’s important to keep your ducts clean so that you have clean and healthy air circulating throughout your home. As a homeowner, you can clean the vents in each room by removing the vent covers, wiping them down, and allowing them to air dry. Then, when removed, you can vacuum out the ducts to remove any build-up of debris.
9. Clean Your Gutters
On your home’s exterior, the gutters surrounding your roof’s exterior should be kept clean so that they can keep any excess water from causing damage to your home. Over the fall and winter months, falling leaves and other debris can clog your gutters. Additionally, ice build-up in the winter can damage the gutters as well. In the comfortable spring weather, it’s easy to get up on your roof and clean the gutters out. Furthermore, this is an ideal time to install screens on your gutters and ensure that they are level.
10. Power Clean Your Home
Last but not least, a thorough spring cleaning of the interior of your home can do wonders for the overall health of your family. As the windows were kept closed during the cold winter months, dust and dirt collected all throughout your home. Now that the weather is getting nicer, take the time to get those hard-to-reach places and those that you normally don’t run a vacuum over to make sure that all harmful dust and allergens are removed from the home.
We hope that you can use these tips to help you jumpstart your spring cleaning this season! As always, if you encounter any plumbing or HVAC issues during your cleaning, our experienced team of certified professionals here at Wade Heating, Cooling, & Geothermal is available around the clock to make sure that your home is ready to go for the warmer months ahead.
