Keep Your Home in Tip-Top-Shape this Year- Your January Home Maintenance To-Do List

A New Year offers the opportunity for a fresh start and new beginnings, and it also serves as an ideal time to tackle annual home maintenance projects. From ensuring smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly, to performing preventative maintenance to help maintain the value of your home, January is the perfect time to focus on projects that preserve the value of your home.

Check Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors–

Installing and maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is essential to your and your family’s safety. Residential fires kill approximately 2,500 people each year, and carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless gas known as the “silent killer” kills another 500 people.

And with more heating systems and fireplaces being used in the winter, now is an ideal time to ensure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly.

In addition to testing your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, be sure to replace them if needed. The National Fire Protection Association recommends replacing smoke detectors every 10 years.

Chimney Cleaning-

Do you plan on warming up in front of your fireplace this winter? If so, be sure to have your chimney cleaned as frequently as needed. Cleaning the chimney removes potentially flammable materials like soot and creosote, which can potentially cause chimney fires and clears obstructions, decreasing the possibility of carbon monoxide getting into your home.

Companies, such as Northeast Chimney Sweeps, perform a wide range of fireplace maintenance services, and recommend the following chimney flue cleaning schedule for various types of flues:

• Wood burning store flue- Once a year.
• Fireplace flue- Every 3 years.
• Oil burner flue- Every 5 years.

Radon Testing and Mitigation–

January has been designated as national Radon Action Month, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) making now an ideal time to test your home’s radon levels.

Radon is a naturally-occurring, odorless, colorless gas, and is the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. Because radon is invisible, the only way to detect and determine the radon levels in your home is to have a test performed. Massachusetts-based, Eagle Environmental, Inc. offers test kits and can refer you to a certified radon testing professional.

Plumbing–

Freezing temperatures can bring a host of problems for plumbing and heating systems. From frozen pipes, to failing hot water systems, many common winter plumbing problems can be prevented with proper maintenance. Local companies like Allen Plumbing Incorporated, provide a wide-range of plumbing services, from repairing frozen pipes to installing high-efficiency heating systems and repairing boilers and furnaces a trusted plumber can help prevent and repair common winter plumbing problems.

Home Improvement Projects–

Is this the year you are thinking of remodeling or renovating your home? Whether you’re looking to completely revamp your home, or are considering an addition, meeting with contractors now can help you prepare for an upcoming home improvement project. Area companies, like PM Home Solutions, offer construction management services to ensure that your home building or remodeling project runs smoothly.

Whether your home improvement aspirations are modest or ambitious, January is an ideal time to begin tackling home improvement projects and repairs. With the hustle and bustle of the holidays behind us, this is the perfect time to resolve to make this the year that you finally put a home safety plan in place, or embark on that remodeling project.