Interior Home Maintenance Checklist:

You know the saying… "a stitch in time"? Well it goes double for home maintenance. A little attention to the items below can save a ton of money and headache, and protect your health and safety to boot. 

Washing machine - Front load washing machines need to be cleaned. Who knew! Otherwise they can grow mold and smell… quite funky. A dirty dispenser and gasket can also affect operability. 

Here is our favorite quick-clean guide for keeping your washing machine healthy and happy. 

Alternatively, check your operating instructions to see if your machine has a "sanitize" cycle.

Furnace - Changing your filter every 1-6 months will help keep your furnace running efficiently and keep airborne contaminants at bay. You would be *shocked* at how many furnaces we see that have never. had. the filter changed. You don't want to see what that looks like, trust us! 

It's so easy we promise you can do it yourself. It's very satisfying! Different grades of filter have different shelf lives. Here is a quick guide to how often you should be swapping yours. 

Ducts - Dirty heating ducts can have a lot of the same consequences as a clogged filter. More dust and contaminants swirling around, and a furnace that's working overtime. Duct cleaning is usually best done by a professional, and in the Bay Area, it's not cheap. Fortunately, it only needs to be done every 3-5 years. (maybe more often if you have pets or allergies) More details and advice can be found here. Get your ducts cleaned and you'll see you have to dust a lot less often. 

Refrigerator Water Filters - More filters! Newer fridges often have indicator lights alerting you to the need to swap the filter. If yours doesn't have that feature, now's a good time to install a new one, and get on a 6 month cycle to prevent build up of contaminants that might enter your drinking water. 

Dryer Vent - A ton of lint and debris can collect inside the dryer vent (i.e. that snakey hose thing that comes out of your clothes dryer). If your clothes are taking forever to dry, this is a likely culprit. More importantly, an excess of lint can be a serious fire hazard. 

It's a little more labor-intensive than swapping the furnace filter, but if you have a vacuum with a hose attachment, you can DIY this task. (you got this!)

Here's a video that shows you how.  Rinse and repeat every 6 months or so. 

Carbon and Smoke Detectors - We never think about them until we need them. When we do, they're literal lifesavers. Oftentimes when they need attention, they'll emit that delightful beeping sound we all love. Usually you'll just need to change the batteries. However, detectors do have a life span. Most have a sticker on the back indicating the date of manufacture. If it's 5-7 years old or the "test" button isn't responding, it should be replaced. 

If (no judgement) you *might* have ripped out the batteries and shoved a detector or two in a drawer at some point just to stop the lord-forsaken beeping, here's a quick chart showing where you need to reinstall them.

Think of these as the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy in California.