Spring home maintenance tasks to tackle this March

Believe it or not, spring is right around the corner. The days are a bit longer, the birds will soon be chirping, and we’ll hopefully have fewer cloudy days. But you better believe your home took a beating this winter. It worked hard to protect you and now it’s time you show it some love by tackling a few spring home maintenance tasks. 

Here are a few home maintenance jobs to do this March, according to Tarion Warranty Corporation. We highlight some of the tasks, but check out the full list here!   

Clean your furnace filter and HRV

Odds are you had your furnace working overtime throughout the extremely cold winter we had this year. You should actually be cleaning your heat recovery filter every couple months, but the majority of homeowners aren’t that diligent. Whether you’re replacing or cleaning your filters, ensure the power is off before removing any parts. 

To clean the filter, you can simply vacuum it, then give it a light scrub with soapy water. You can even let it soak for a little while if there’s a lot of gunk build-up. 

Check out your attic

When we have a winter like the one we’re in right now, your roof gets hammered by snow, freezing rain, and ice. Temperatures plummet, then spike, then plummet again, causing the wood in your roof to fluctuate in size, potentially causing cracks, leaks, and shingle damage. It’s important that you inspect your attic for any leaks because unnoticed moisture can turn to mold.

Clean your humidifier  

Winter is dry and you probably had your humidifier running throughout the evenings. It sounds gross, but mold can develop in your humidifier, too. Chances are you won’t need your humidifier through spring, so make sure you give it a good scrub before placing it back into storage. It would not be good to take your humidifier out next winter and discover that it’s covered in mold. 

Remove any snow or ice 

If there’s snow or ice piling up around your home, now’s the time to get rid of it. If there’s too much snow piled up against your home, the warmer temperatures can cause flooding. If you have icicles hanging from your eavestrough, knock them down because they are more likely to fall and hit you with warmer weather approaching. 

Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors 

As always, it doesn’t hurt to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Replace batteries if you have to and never leave your detectors obstructed in any way. If some of the alarms are hard to get to or are out of reach, make sure you have a spotter. Remember, safety first for all of these spring home maintenance tasks!