Tracking Home Maintenance

Introduction

Home maintenance helps systems operate at optimal efficiency and lower the chances of a problem. For most people their house is their most valuable investment. So why do we tend to forget home maintenance? It seems like even cars get more love despite the large price disparity compared to a house.

Playing a Game of Memory

There are so many events, tasks, and errands to manage during normal day life that less frequent activities can fall to the wayside. Home maintenance tends to be something that is a once or twice a month occurrence, at most. Procrastinating or completely forgetting to change an air filter or test the smoke alarms is very easy. Homeowners should try to organize and prepare in advance to avoid these pitfalls. Setup reminders to put maintenance on autopilot.

Unknown Maintenance

Most homeowners know that the air filters need to changed and that lint trap should be emptied after every use, but there is so much more. Many homeowners are unaware that the sediment from the bottom of the water heater tank needs to be drained at least a couple times a year. Or that the air conditioning system should have the heat exchanger coils cleaned and the refrigerant pressure checked before the summer. A lot of maintenance tasks are simply unknown to the average homeowner. Unfortunately, this does not make the task any less important. Do some research or find a good website to help you out.

 Spreadsheet

If you are not not much of a computer fan than it is a good idea to create a spreadsheet on a white board or piece of paper. Using an electronic version, like Excel, would be better but the old school methods still work. Write down the maintenance tasks for each appliance or system on your spreadsheet. Include the frequency, short description and steps that need to be taken. Also, note whether you need a professional or a if this will be DIY. Check off the list each year as you complete each choir.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is a simple and easy to use method of managing maintenance. Add the tasks and descriptions as events for the appropriate months. After adding an event, you can select a frequency. The beauty of this method is Google will send you an email reminder for each task. 

HomeSpot HQ

HomeSpot HQ has been featured on the Kim Komando Show and Real Simple magazine for being the home maintenance manager online. It features an easy to setup home profile that allows you to add rooms from your house and suggested maintenance for each area. The beauty is the simplicity for homeowners to setup a maintenance routine in minutes. There is no need for extra research as a maintenance schedule and checklist is suggested for you. Plus, automatic reminders are sent out to your email. An additional tool available allows you to install a browser plugin to save articles from across the web into your account as additional resources. Aside from home maintenance, you can also add notes about your house (eg paint colors) and setup projects and shopping lists to prepare for remodeling.

Home Maintenance Tracker

Another website similar to HomeSpot HQ is Home Maintenance Tracker. It allows you to setup a similar home profile based on appliances and systems and then sets up a recommended home maintenance schedule. The resources are already compilted into the site for easy access. The one drawback for this site is lack of email reminders. You have to log into the site to see your home maintenance checklist.