Spring is finally here, and I hope you’ve got a lot of energy, because this season’s to-do list will really get you moving! From cleaning gutters and windows to organizing your garage, our spring maintenance list will get your home in top shape so you can relax and enjoy the long, lazy summer ahead.

Read on for tips on how to clean, repair, and maintain your home this spring both inside and out!


Indoor Spring House Cleaning & Organizing

Here’s an easy way to clean garbage disposals using household ingredients in your pantry. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into the disposal followed by a cup of white vinegar. Once the bubbles subside, pour in a pot of boiling water, and allow it sit for five minutes. Finally, run cold water through the disposal, and turn it on to flush out any remaining debris. To keep funky smells at bay, turn the disposal on and run a lemon peel or juice and crushed ice through it.

Remove winter grunge and spring pollen by cleaning the glass on windows and doors. It’s best to tackle this chore on a cloudy day, so the sun won’t cause streaks. Make your own organic glass cleaner by adding 1½ cups white vinegar to one gallon of water. Spray the solution on the glass and wipe dry with a clean microfiber cloth or balled-up newspapers. If the windows are extra grimy, use one cloth to remove the dirt and a second cloth to rinse and shine the glass. For more cleaning tips, check out our comprehensive window cleaning guide

Take the time to clean out and organize your garage. First, get rid of anything you haven’t used lately. Throw away any unusable items, recycling what you can, and donate or sell usable items you no longer need. To improve the look and function of your garage, seal and paint the garage floor and build storage shelves to keep it neat. You can also add bike hooks on the ceiling and hanging racks for garden tools.


Indoor Spring Home Maintenance

Change Air Filter: Replace the air filter on your central heating and cooling system every one to three months so it will run more efficiently and keep the air in your home cleaner. It’s easy to change the air filter by removing the cover on the air return, sliding out the old filter, and replacing it with a new one with the arrows on the filter pointing in the direction of air flow.

If you suffer from allergies, this is a great time to upgrade to a high-performance allergen air filter for your home. If you’re not sure where the air filter in your house is located, check out our article on Locating HVAC Air Filters.

Air Conditioner: In addition to changing the air filter, spring is the perfect time to have your air conditioner serviced. Have a licensed heating and cooling technician inspect and clean the blower and motor, check the coolant, and test the switches. It’s also a good idea to inspect your ductwork and seal any leaks with special metallic tape and duct mastic.

Ceiling Fans: Summer is coming so it’s time to change the direction your paddle ceiling fans rotate. During spring and summer, ceiling fans should rotate counterclockwise when looking up at the fan. This creates a downdraft that makes you feel cooler when it blows on your skin. To change the direction of your ceiling fan, turn the fan off, allow the blades to stop, then flip the switch on the fan housing. On many fans the “down” position on the switch indicates downward air flow. If your fan has a remote control with a direction setting, this job doesn’t even require a ladder.

Fireplace Damper: After the last fire of the season, don’t forget to close your fireplace damper to keep drafts, rain, animals, and insects out of your home. The damper is a metal flap inside your fireplace that covers the opening to the chimney. It will have a loop, lever, or chains for opening and closing. Close loop dampers by hand or by inserting a poker into the loop. To close lever dampers, lift up slightly on the lever, then push or pull to close. Chain dampers are closed by pulling on the longer chain to disengage the mechanism, then pulling the shorter chain to close the flap.

Tile Grout: Protect tile floors from dirt by sealing grout lines. Start by thoroughly cleaning the grout with baking soda and white vinegar. For tough stains, use a mixture of bleach and water. Let the floor dry completely, then apply a commercial grout sealer using an applicator bottle or artist’s brush. If your grout won’t come clean, apply a grout stain to color and seal it.

Plumbing: Over time even small plumbing leaks can add up to thousands of gallons of water wasted. After the last winter freeze, it’s a good idea to check your water meter for plumbing leaks. If the triangular shaped flow indicator on the water meter is turning when water isn’t running in the house, you’ve got a leak. Finding a plumbing leak can be difficult, but the main culprits to check are toilets, outdoor spigots, irrigation systems, and pipes on exterior walls that may have been damaged in a freeze.


Outdoor Spring House Cleaning

Clogged and overflowing gutters can damage your home’s eaves and foundation when rainwater overflows. In preparation for spring rains, clean gutters and unclog downspouts. To make cleaning gutters easier, cut the bottom and sides off a plastic jug that’s the same width as your gutters, and use it to scoop out the debris. Then use a garden hose to rinse out the gutter and downspouts. When you’re finished, empty the gutter debris on your compost pile.

Before it becomes too hot, now is the time to clean your roof. Begin by sweeping or blowing off away leaves and branches on the roof, paying particular attention around chimneys and in valleys.

You can use a garden hose and long handled scrub brush to clean the outside of your house, but a pressure washer can make the job go faster. Just be careful to not over do it and damage wood siding and trim. A mixture of bleach, detergent, and water can be used to remove mildew and clean vinyl siding, or you can use a product like Wet & Forget Outdoor Cleaner to keep mold and mildew away for up to a year.

If your wood deck is looking a little worse for wear, spring is a good time to clean and refinish it. Start by spraying down the deck with a commercial deck cleaner, then follow up with a pressure washer or scrub brush to remove dirt and mildew. Repair any rotten boards, and drive in protruding nails or replace them with deck screws. Sand rough boards to prevent splinters, then apply deck sealer or deck stain with a pump sprayer followed by a paintbrush to even out the stain and force it into the grain.

Scrub away any mildew and grime, allow to dry, and apply a coat of car wax to hard surfaces. Clean cushions by washing removable covers or scrubbing upholstery. Read our article on How To Clean Outdoor Furniture to find out more.


Outdoor Spring Home Maintenance & Repair

Roofs: Start by inspecting your roof and replacing damaged shingles. Next, examine the chimney flashing and mortar joints on brick or stone chimneys. Use masonry caulk to repair any gaps or cracks in the flashing. If the flashing is in bad condition, make a quick fix with caulk, then call a roofing contractor to for a more permanent repair.

Gutters: Use water from a garden hose to check gutters for leaks. Repair any loose gutter hangers or spikes and use a level to make sure the gutters slant slightly down toward the downspouts. To repair leaks in gutter seams, let the gutters dry thoroughly, then seal the crack using gutter sealer, exterior caulk, or roofing cement. To resolve other issues, check out our guide to fixing gutter troubles.

Siding and Trim: After the exterior of your house has been cleaned, make any needed repairs to the siding and trim, then patch and paint bare spots. Scrape away peeling paint, and lightly sand to soften the edges so it will blend in with the old paint. Caulk any cracks, and apply two coats of quality exterior paint, being careful to feather the edges with the paintbrush so the patch won’t show. If the entire house needs painting, watch our video on Exterior House Painting to find out more.

Storm Windows & Screens: If your home has removable storm windows, take them down and store until fall. Repair small tears in fiberglass screens by pressing the edges together and applying clear fingernail polish to both sides. Small holes can be fixed with a patch kit. For larger holes and tears, it’s better to replace the entire screen. Once they’re in good shape, clean window screens by soaking them in a child’s swimming pool filled with water and a little dish detergent. Use a soft brush or broom to gently clean both sides of the screen. Reinstall the screens on your windows and enjoy the spring breeze!

Drainage: Keep spring rains from flooding your home’s basement or crawlspace by measuring the slope around your home’s foundation to be sure it drops at least 6” in the first 10 feet. It’s also a good idea to add extension pipes or splash blocks on downspouts to direct rainwater away from your home.

Attic Vents: Poorly vented attics trap summer heat that can cause your air conditioner to work harder and shorten the life of roof shingles. Inspect attic vents to make sure they’re clear, and check power vents to see if they’re working properly. Replace any damaged or missing screens on vents to keep squirrels out. If your attic isn’t vented, consider adding vents or power vent fans.

Termites: Grab a flashlight and inspect for termites. Look around the perimeter of your home, and in the basement or crawlspace, paying particular attention to any areas where wood meets the ground. Look for termite damage on wood framing, termite tubes on foundation walls, and termites themselves. Make sure mulch, firewood, and organic debris are kept away from your home’s foundation; and don’t store wood or cardboard in a crawlspace under the house.

Animal Damage: Examine the outside of your home for damage from squirrels and raccoons. Squirrels will chew anything, including trim, siding, shutters, and vents. If they manage to get inside your home, squirrels can be very destructive to wiring, insulation, and anything else in their path. Raccoons are often looking for a place to nest and will tear up vents and fascia boards to set up housekeeping in your attic. Repair any damage and seal potential entry points using a hard material such as fiber cement, sheet metal, or auto body filler. Back attic vents with steel hardware cloth.

Septic Tank or Grinder Pump: Prevent costly and messy sewer backups by having your grinder pump or septic tank inspected. Septic tanks need to be pumped out every three to five years. Grinder pumps are installed in homes that are below the sewer line or in neighborhoods with pressurized sewer lines. Annual inspections will make sure your septic tank or grinder pump are working properly.


Outdoor Spring Yard Maintenance

Get ready for gardening season by cleaning and sharpening garden tools. Small gardening hand tools can be cleaned using steel wool or a wire brush, and the edges sharpened with a file. Lightly sand the handles, then oil the blades and handles to seal and protect them. to sharpen pruning shears, take them apart, then clean and sharpen each blade with honing stone.

Get your lawn mower ready for mowing season by changing the oil, cleaning or replacing the air filter, and cleaning or replacing the spark plug. Next, disconnect the spark plug wire, remove the bolts holding the blade, and sharpen the blade using a file, grinder, sharpening stone, or belt sander. Put the blade back on the mower, making sure the beveled side of the blade is facing up, and tighten up the bolts.

Overgrown shrubs can result in damage to your home’s siding, roof, and windows. Not only can the branches cause rubbing and moisture damage, but insects and pests can use those branches as a highway to your house! Trim tree limbs at least 6′ to 8′ away from your house to make it harder for animals, such as raccoons and squirrels, to get on the roof. Prune shrubs at least 18″ away from the house and air conditioning units. If you’re planting new shrubs, space them at least 3’ to 4’ away from the house to allow room for them to grow while still leaving enough space.


For more home maintenance to-do lists, check out:

Editorial Contributors
avatar for Danny Lipford

Danny Lipford

Founder

Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

Learn More