February Home Maintenance
Spring might be around the corner, but February weather is always very changeable - from freezing one day to 70's the next - welcome to North Texas! So this changeable weather provides a perfect time to plan tasks that are both indoor and outdoor.
We’ve created a handy checklist of home maintenance tasks to give your home a lift in February. And if you’re struggling to muster up the energy to tackle these chores, we’ve provided tips for how to do them faster and easier—or with the help of a pro.
Check these to-do items off your list, then sit back and relax for the last few weeks of winter.
Touch up the paint
Task: Freshen indoor paint on walls, cabinets, doors, and trim. Cold days present the chance to repair dings and scuffs on painted walls and trim. Scuffs, crayon marks and grime might wipe off if you use a damp melamine-foam sponge, such as the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. If the paint still looks dingy, or if there are dents that need filling, try touching up the worst areas. After repairing, brush drywall primer (not primer formulated to block stains) over the dried patches. Then repaint the area.
The biggest challenge, especially if the paint is semi-gloss or glossy, is to get the sheen to match, even if you have leftover paint. A customer service representative from Sherwin-Williams recommends mixing 9 parts paint with 1 part water. Apply this diluted solution starting at the center of the patch or area you are touching up. Brush or roll paint out from there, so the paint winds up thinnest at the edges. The touched-up areas might look slightly different at first, but wait a day, then assess. Fully dry, the new paint will probably blend in quite well. If you still don’t like the look, you can repaint the entire wall corner to corner; February is a much better time for interior paint projects than when the weather is hotter and more humid. Check the label, but most interior paints cure best when the temperatures of the air and the surface are between 50 and 85 degrees.
Shortcuts: Sometimes a once-over with a Magic Eraser sponge will remove marks and smudges, reducing the need for a paint job. If that won’t cut it—and you need to paint indoors in February—stir a tablespoon of clear vanilla extract into the paint can make the smell less noxious. And if you have trouble removing painter’s tape from furniture or walls, heat it briefly with a hair dryer.
Pro Tip: always finish the roller stroke in the same direction, preferably from ceiling to floor, to avoid streaks.
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Prepare to mow
Task: One of the tips in our January Newsletter was to prepare your lawn by fertilizing it as well as the trees and shrubbery. This month we are going to do an equipment check and be prepared when lawn-mowing season begins in late March or early April. If you wait until then to check whether your mower, string trimmer and other gear are in good shape, you will probably encounter a backup at repair companies. Save yourself the angst by making sure everything’s in working condition; if it isn’t, get the repair done now. Also check for a dull or chipped mower blade. There are plenty of YouTube videos that show how to sharpen a mower blade. If it’s heavily nicked, though, replace it. To get an exact match, take the old blade with you when you shop.
Pro Tip: always pull the sparkplug wire from the sparkplug and tie the wire away from the sparkplug to prevent the mower engine from accidently starting as you are moving the blade around. The results of an incident like that should be obvious!
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Reorganize the laundry room
Task: Clean and reorganize your laundry room so it’s roomier and more efficient. Scrape dried-on laundry detergent from ridges in your washer, replace damaged sorting bins, throw away laundry products you never use, and store the rest in out-of-reach places to protect young ones.
Shortcuts: Take advantage of every square inch of laundry room space. If you don’t have room for a drying rack, extend a curtain rod over your machines to hang delicate clothes, and insert a “slim cart” between your washer and dryer to hold cleaning supplies. Also, try storing bins, buckets, and laundry bags on wall hooks to free up space.
Clean refrigerator coils
Task: To keep your refrigerator in tiptop shape and save energy, clean the refrigerator condenser coils located in the back or on the bottom of the appliance.
Shortcuts: Use a vacuum to clean coils (just make sure to pop on the upholstery attachment first). While you’re at it, vacuum the floor under and behind the fridge, too. Then, shove a duster or refrigerator coil brush (about $5 and designed for this exact purpose) between the coils, and clean the rest of the dust, hair, and dirt still clinging to the coils.
Flip your mattress
Task: Vacuum box springs and the mattress top and bottom. Rotate or flip the mattress.
Shortcuts: If you have a one-sided mattress—one side is padded; the other isn’t—don’t bother flipping; just rotate it to provide even aging. If you have a two-sided mattress, flip every two months to prevent sags.
Call in the pros: A cleaning service will provide this type of deep cleaning for $40 to $80 an hour.
Look for leaks
Task: Inspect your roof for missing shingles and damaged vent boots and check your foundations for cracks that can cause big problems when spring rains pour on your home.
Shortcut: Wait until it rains, then climb into your attic to look for leaks. “It may be easier to spot water leaks during a storm, but any leak will leave a water stain that is your first clue of a problem,” says Kullen Howard, of Korrect General Contracting of Arlington, TX.
“Considerable damage could be done by the time a leak is detected in the interior of the home. We see damage to ceiling and wall insulation as well as interior drywall which provides a ripe environment for mold to grow that can cause serious health issues.”
Call in the pros: Roofing and foundation waterproofing companies can inspect and cure water problems. A roofing company will inspect your roof for free if it replaces shingles and repairs other roof damage. Costs typically range from $100 to $350 to replace 10 square feet of asphalt shingles. Waterproofing companies can spray a sealant on foundation cracks for $250 to $1,000.
Need professional assistance? Click below for local contractors.
