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Each year, cleaning the gutters consistently lands at the top of the spring cleaning list and for good reason. By clearing out leaves and other debris, you protect your roof and living space from potentially disastrous water leaks. If you want to prevent other costly and time-consuming home repairs, you have to think beyond the gutters, however, to all the other areas of your house. Here’s a rundown of the oft-overlooked spring cleaning tasks that can protect you from major issues in the future.
Suck Lint Out of the Dryer Vents
Even when you consistently clear out the lint trap in your dryer, the ducts running from the back of the machine and down under the house accumulate lint. Without regular removal, the dust and fluff will continue to pile up, posing a serious fire hazard. Thankfully, you can easily clean it out of all the ductwork by using a dryer lint brush and shop vacuum. Just alternate between these two tools until no more lint comes out of the vents.
Blow Out Your Smoke Detectors
Dust, pollen and other debris can build up in smoke detectors, rendering their sensors nearly useless. Eventually, the buildup causes false alarms or causes the detector to malfunction altogether. You can keep this problem at bay by committing to a twice a year cleaning schedule coinciding with battery changes. And it is easy, too. All you have to do clean out the dust and debris is blow out the case with compressed air.
Clear Window Weep Holes
At the bottom of your window frames are weep holes that allow water to drip away from the seals. As they become clogged with dirt and grime, however, the water could leak inside your house, damaging the drywall and other building materials. To prevent this issue, clean the weep holes with a small bit of wire or by spraying them out with compressed air.
Brush Off Refrigerator Coils
Your refrigerator has a network of coils along the back that cycle refrigerant through the system, keeping all your food at the proper temperature. As these coils operate, they attract dust and debris at a rapid rate. When this happens, the refrigerator cannot release heat and has to cycle the compressor on much more frequently.
Unless you intervene by removing the dust, this can reduce the life of this appliance by several years. To clean them off, unplug the machine, pull it out from the wall and use a long-handled duster to clear off the coils. Then, vacuum or sweep up any dirt that hits the ground before putting the fridge back.
Each of these spring cleaning tasks only takes a few minutes to complete and provides lasting benefits through every season. So, put them on your list and get them done to prevent costly problems in the future.
