9 Summer Home Maintenance Tips to Protect Your Home Year-Round

It’s important to take proper measures to protect your home from long term issues year round. However, during the summer months it may be easier to detect issues than any other season. To ensure that your home is protected from potential damage, it’s important to take necessary maintenance steps during the summer.

Here are 9 summer home maintenance tips to protect your home:

1. Power wash siding and decks

As the weather gets warmer, the damage that occurred during winter months to outer surfaces of your home will appear. In order to prevent the damage from worsening or the dirt from piling up, one summer home maintenance tip is to power wash those surfaces. For example vinyl siding and deck finishes can take a beating during harsh winters. Using a power washer you can get these surfaces extremely clean and prepped for a protective coat to prevent any further damage.

2. Clean the outside of windows

Another summer home maintenance tip to consider is cleaning the outside of your home’s windows. Throughout the year, especially if you live in a climate that has extreme winters or a rainy season, it can be difficult to clean the outside of your windows properly. During the summer months, cleaning the outside of your windows can make them more functional, but also prevent the protective seal around the window from wearing down as quickly allowing you to avoid replacing windows.

3. Clean and clear gutters

Cleaning out your gutters is a summer home maintenance tip that’s incredibly important. Your gutter system can be filled with debris from fallen leaves and other plants in your yard. Over time this debris can cause the gutter system to no longer function properly causing water to pool in places that it shouldn’t. This can lead to water damage to the perimeter of the home, especially during a heavy rain. In order to prevent this, you should spend time each season clearing out your gutter system to ensure it still properly functions.

4. Check the garage door for proper function

Another summer home maintenance tip is to check how your garage is functioning. First, you should ensure that the track and sensor system is working properly by making sure everything is lined up. This ensures that the garage door continues to move smoothly. Another area to check as well is the garage door's seal. Make sure that the garage door is closing to the ground and unable to be moved to ensure that rodents and other pests or water can’t get in.

5. Pest control

Pests are out in full force during the summer months. Some pests can cause an extreme amount of damage to your home if not taken care of properly. It’s obviously common to see a bug here or there within your home, but if you frequently spot the same type of bug in your home it could be a good idea to hire an exterminator. This is especially important if the bug you spot is something that can be damaging to the home, like carpenter ants or cockroaches. This is also true for rodents. Make sure that if you suspect a rodent has gotten into your home to inspect areas that could potentially be their entrance and hire a professional if need be.

6. Check the roof for damage

Checking your roof for potential damage could save you a ton of money in the long run. A part of your summer home maintenance routine should be to take a closer look at your roof to assess where there may be damaged areas. Fixing areas of your roof instead of having to get an entire roof replaced is much more cost effective. This will also ensure that you catch any potential areas that could cause further damage to the interior of your home before it happens.

7. Get air ducts professionally cleaned

During the summer months many homeowners suffer from allergies. This is because allergens that were not present during winter months are now present as the seasons change. As more allergens are present, and the air conditioning system being turned on for the first time of the season, they can be circulated through your home from your vent system. One way to combat these allergens is to get your air ducts professionally cleaned. A professional air duct cleaning is a summer home maintenance tip you should do every year if you’re an allergy sufferer.

8. Freshen with paint

One of the easiest ways to transform a space is with a fresh coat of paint. Not only is this a great idea to keep up with home decor trends as they evolve, or to prepare your home for a sale. But it’s also a good idea to clean and protect your walls. Over time your walls may become damaged from general wear and tear and they may no longer be clean or look nice. Painting your home during the summer is a much easier process as you can air out the room as you go and can have a huge impact on your homes overall look and cleanliness.

9. Check and fix drainage around the home

A final summer home maintenance tip to follow is to check and fix the drainage around the home. Using mulch, rocks and other landscaping materials can help you manipulate where water flows around your home. If you notice that your landscaping is broken down and damaged after enduring a harsh winter and spring, it may be time to freshen up your landscaping. This will ensure that the water flows away from your home and will prevent any water damage from occurring.

Overall, these 9 summer home maintenance tips are important as a homeowner to keep your home in top shape. Neglecting to do these things could cause you to not catch a potential hazard, causing further damage long term. Keeping up with this general summer home maintenance will also ensure that your home is in a condition to sell in the future without needing a ton of updates all at once.