June Home Maintenance List: Taking Care of Leaks and Cracks (Cause Summer is Back)!

June Home Maintenance List: Taking Care of Leaks and Cracks (Cause Summer is Back)! 

You’ve probably already had your first wave of summer storms and rain, and we checked for flooded areas around our yard and windows last month— now it’s time to check for leaks and cracks inside your abode. 

Our first maintenance item to check off our list is inspecting plumbing. 

Inspect Plumbing for Leaks

Arguably, your bathroom is where most of the plumbing action takes place. Chances are if you have an issue, it’s going to stem from the toilet, sink, or shower drain. Therefore, your bathrooms should be first on your list to inspect. Check your faucets for leaks and ensure that your tub, shower, and sink drains don’t have blockages either. While you’re there, tying a Zip-loc bag of vinegar around those shower heads and faucets will help remove calcium build-up, too. 

Next, you want to check out those toilets. Take your tank lids off and flush each one; make sure your toilets aren’t continuing to run at the end of the flush cycle and check for rust or water leaking from your pipes at all of your connection points. 

Once you’ve made your rounds with the bathrooms, it’s time to hit up the kitchen. Check all of your appliances and fixtures in your kitchen, including your faucets, sink drains, garbage disposal, dishwasher, and refrigerator. Now is also a great time to change a filter on an ice maker or water dispenser if you have those features on your fridge, or simply add some Drano in your sinks if you don’t have a disposal. 

Finally, you’ll want to inspect all other areas of your house, in particular, your water heater, washing machines, and branch shutoff valves. We’ve taken a closer look at our water heater and outdoor irrigation systems in previous months, but if you haven’t done those items yet, take a look back at that blog here. 

Remove Lint from Dryer Exhaust Fan 

Dryer lint build-up is one of the leading causes of home fires each year (appliances malfunctioning is the #1 reason, and dryers are included there), so this task is crucial for home safety. Everyone cleans out their lint screen at each use, but now is the time to remove the lint in the duct. 

First, you want to shut off the gas and unplug your dryer. Then, pull the dryer away from the wall and disconnect the duct from your dryer. Using a brush and a shop vac, clean/suck-up the lint in the duct. You should already have a rigid metal duct, but if yours is plastic, you need to replace it with a metal one, like yesterday. All dryers have a warning label that clearly states you should use a heavy metal vent and “DO NOT USE PLASTIC OR THIN FOIL DUCT,” as these dryer hoses will literally fuel a fire. 

For more tips on cleaning your dryer, see this helpful article from Family Handyman.

Power Wash Windows & Siding 

Depending on how large your house is, you may want to leave this one to the professionals, but if you’re the DIY-type, then you can easily rent a power washer from your local Home Depot or Lowe’s (if you don’t already own one) and trade your neighbor a case of beer or a dozen cookies for a few hours of using theirs! 

Hook that bad boy up and hit-up your windows and wherever you see some mold or fungus starting to stick along your siding. Warning: Some of you may find this addicting. You’ll find this task to be oddly satisfying, and you just might find yourself pressure-washing everything in your house soon! Don’t say we didn’t warn ya!

Check Grout In Bathrooms & Kitchen 

This next step could either take five minutes or five hours depending on how meticulous you are. We’re heading back into the bathrooms and kitchen to check on the grout. 

First, you want to see if your grout is visibly cracked and starting to come out from between your tiles on your floors, walls, backsplash, etc. You also want to be on the lookout for small holes. If you do notice any, you can usually fix them yourself with some grout and a grout tool, but you, again, want to do it sooner than later because any hole can let water into your floors, etc., which will lead to more significant damage later. 

If you notice a black, pink, red, or green tint to your grout as well, you might have signs of a mildew or mold problem. Most professional cleaners will suggest a white vinegar and water mix to clean out mildew or build-up, or you can use an everyday tile and grout cleaner. If that doesn’t do the job though, you may need to contact a professional. 

Lastly, you want to ensure that your grout is sealed. This should have happened after installation, but sealing it now will not only make it easier to clean, but extend the longevity of your grout by keeping the moisture out. 

Clean Garage 

Lastly, you want to keep your garage organized and clean throughout the summer, as you’ll probably get the most use out of everything in it during this season. If you haven’t tackled spring cleaning in here yet, go for it. Adding a shelving unit or two, sweeping out dust, cobwebs, and debris, and power washing the floor (if necessary from oil spills or anything else coming out of your vehicle) are all great ideas to get your garage ready to handle all summer activities. 

That’s a wrap on June! If you ever find some of these tasks to be a little too much, don’t hesitate to reach out! Our team will be happy to point you in the right direction of some professionals who can get the jobs done well– and at a fair price!