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Stay Comfortable This Winter Home Maintenance Checklist

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Winters whether warm or cold, are better in front of a cozy fireplace so be sure to complete your winter home maintenance checklist before it gets coldWith the holiday season behind us, winter is officially here. Over the winter you’re probably not going to spend a lot of time outdoors so our winter home maintenance checklist focuses on your interior home systems and keeping your family safe and comfortable.

Do you know much about your home systems? They support your home and lifestyle, yet they’re not visible as they hide in your basement, attic, garage, sometimes a closet or sometimes outdoors (where it's warmer). Your home systems are your heating, cooling (air conditioning) and ventilation systems, hot water, plumbing and electrical.

Our seasonal checklists (any ideas for more checklists?) offer suggestions for inspecting many home features, common repairs for problems and ways to update your home to eliminate/minimize problems. We hope you find this Winter Home Maintenance Checklist helpful and there's a one page checklist you can print to keep track of your progress completing tasks.

A Winter Home Maintenance Checklist to Keep Your Family Warm & Dry

Winter offers the opportunity to sit down with your family and go over home situations you might have to deal with. Involve the children and make it a family activity while teaching them home safety. For example: what should they do if a water pipe or valve fails and suddenly the kitchen is getting flooded? Show everyone where shutoff valves are located and how to use them. Practice these things and make sure you have a plan. Prevention and preparation take time now, but they’re worth peace of mind.

InspectMaintainUpdateHomeowner Tasks to Keep Your Family Safe
Every Quarter (or more often)

  • Test smoke and carbon monoxide batteries monthly and change them twice a year, when you set your clocks for daylight savings time.
  • Change furnace filters and if they’re really dirty, you’ll need to change them more often than once a quarter.
  • Clean humidifiers (especially important in the winter) and change filters per manufacturer instructions.
  • Clean dryer lint trap with each use; Once a quarter, clean vents and behind the dryer to remove lint buildup.
Water Heater

  • Inspect – Test the temperature and pressure safety relief valve according to manufacturer instructions, at least once a year.
  • Maintain – Drain your hot water heater once a year to remove sediment from bottom. Replace anode rod every few years to prolong the life of your hot water tank.
  • Update – Set hot water temperature to 120° F to protect small children/elderly from scalding.
Stairs & Tripping Hazards

  • Inspect – Check stair railings and look for tripping hazards around the house and garage.
  • Maintain – Secure anything not tight. Organize sports, gardening, etc for easy and safe access (hang ladders horizontally so children do not climb on them).
  • Update – Build shelving, install hooks or whatever type of storage solution needed to keep things organized. Add lighting for seniors who need more light to recognize changes in elevation.
Electrical

  • Inspect – Review electrical outlets/fixtures to ensure they’re working properly. Faulty wiring that sparks when turning lights or appliances on/off, should be repaired immediately by a licensed electrician.
  • Maintain – Repair electrical outlets or fixtures that aren’t working. Add outlet covers if there are small children in the house.
  • Update – Upgrade old electrical service (fuses?) and/or too little power (under 150 amps) as today’s appliances and electronics use more energy. Upgrade to ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets near water in baths and kitchens.
Chimney (for your fireplace and furnace/boiler)

  • Inspect – Inspect chimney and vents annually and clean as needed.
  • Maintain – Certified chimney sweeps can be found at the Chimney Safety Institute of America; close fireplace dampers tightly for heating season.
  • Update – At some point you may need to install a chimney liner.
Indoor Air Quality

  • Inspect – Check that humidifiers and dehumidifiers are operating correctly. Search for flammable or poisonous materials that pose a safety risk.
  • Maintain – Clean humidifier/dehumidifier filters weekly when using. Store dangerous materials up high or behind locks.
  • Update – Dehumidifiers can be placed on a wall shelf to allow gravity-fed drainage into a utility sink.

winter home maintenance is a good time to inspect, find & repair interior water leaks like this shower ceilingWinter Home Maintenance & Water Damage

Water plays a key role in our lives but let's keep it where it belongs – sinks, shower/bathtub, washing machine, etc. When you have water leaks, the water combined with wood or other food sources, creates an environment that supports living creatures we don't want like carpenter ants and mold. The worst part is you often can't see the problem until it's gotten really bad. A leak behind a shower head can take a few years before the stain comes through the drywall (see photo above). That's why we say inspect and fix water problems immediately. And now you know why we're giving you a winter home maintenance checklist.

InspectMaintainUpdateHomeowner Tasks to Keep Your Family Safe
Sump Pump

  • Inspect – Test the pump at the beginning of your rainy season, and monthly thereafter.
  • Maintain – Clean out the pump annually.
  • Update – If you use your pump frequently, consider investing in a backup sump pump before you need it or generator so you don’t get caught with a flooded basement.
Basement

  • Inspect – Check basement walls and floors for dampness, leaks, mold or efflorescence.
  • Maintain – Determine where leaks are coming from and repair as needed. Direct water from downspouts further away from foundation with inexpensive plastic tube extensions.
  • Update – Don’t ignore leaking water in the home. Water damage, or even moisture, with wood will serve as a breeding environment for mold, carpenter ants or similar unwanted visitors.
Faucets and Water Hoses

  • Inspect – Check for leaky faucets and make sure water/waste hoses to dishwasher, disposal, washing machine, etc  are tight and not leaking anywhere.
  • Maintain – Replace worn/brittle washers in faucets (or replace entire faucet as once the first gasket fails, others will follow) or older hoses before they fail.
  • Update – Add shut-off valve at the top of your washing machine to easily stop/repair water leaks. Replace rubber hoses with flexible steel hoses.
Caulk and Grout

  • Inspect – Check caulk and grout to ensure they remain water tight, and probe with a screwdriver for water damage.
  • Maintain – Replace caulk, grout and/or underlying damage where there is any indication of a water barrier no longer working.
  • Update – Where you have frequent water problems, consider replacing materials that aren’t vulnerable to water damage, i.e. tile floors in entry ways or bathrooms.

Save Energy, Money and the Environment

A focus on home energy costs always starts with heating and cooling. You can focus on large or small projects and the results will add up year after year. You can install programmable thermostats or replace your single pane windows with double pane, a few rooms each year or the entire house. We’ll continue to offer green, energy saving tips here. If you want to do more research, here are websites that provide more information on energy efficiency products and tax incentives.

InspectMaintainUpdateHomeowner Tasks to Keep Your Family Safe
Heating System

  • Inspect – Heating (and cooling) systems should be inspected and tuned-up by a HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) professional once a year.
  • Maintain – Heating systems work best when filters are changed frequently when used; vacuum baseboards & air vents periodically.
  • Update – Periodically review the cost / benefit trade-offs of upgrading your heating system to one that is more efficient as it can reduce fuel costs significantly. Adding additional zones to an existing system can also help.
Attic

  • Inspect – Check attic and attic stairs for heat loss.
  • Maintain – Insulate as needed, while maintaining proper ventilation in the attic.
  • Update – Replace worn out insulating materials.
Heat Loss

Refrigerator

  • Inspect – refrigerator door to make sure it is airtight
  • Maintain – Adjust latch as needed and vacuum coils twice a year
  • Update – Keep refrigerator stocked as a full refrigerator uses less energy to keep cool than an empty one

We hope you find this Winter Home Maintenance Checklist helpful. We’re also providing a one page summary checklist to save ink and paper. Good luck maintaining your home and please, share your input as to how we can improve this checklist.

a winter home maintenance checklist will help make sure you don't miss any critical task & keep your home warm & dry

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About Tina Gleisner

Tina helps women homeowners create homes they love, homes that support how we live today. Leveraging her experience owning 15 houses and running a handyman business, Tina offers a free Savvy Homeowner Report.

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