Spring forward with home maintenance

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Mar. 16, 2022) — Vibrant colors and warmer temperatures are signals that it’s time for spring cleaning.

Washing the exterior of your windows is a good place to start. Inclement weather has brought about debris and dirt, but the milder conditions provide an opportunity to brighten your view.

Meanwhile, get ahead of the heat by replacing filters in your air conditioner. Plan to change filters each month until the weather cools again. Once it’s above 65 degrees, turn the AC on to ensure that it’s blowing cool air. If there’s a problem, you can be at the front of the repair line – before HVAC companies become swamped.

In the yard, rake any vegetation and lay mulch in flowerbeds and beneath shrubbery to protect against summer heat. It’s also a wonderful time to reseed the lawn and to check your sprinklers. Operate each station sequentially and ensure that each sprinkler head is upright, facing the correct direction, free of clogs and not being blocked by vegetation. Then run a full cycle to verify that everything operates correctly. Water pooling or low pressure could be a sign that underground pipes are cracked or leaking.

Scott Denslow is the owner of Safe at Home Inspection Service. He is an InterNACHI and ASHI certified inspector who has 73+ five-star ratings on Yelp. ­Contact him at scott@safeathomellc.com. For more info visit www.safeathomellc.com.

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