Use The Lull Of Summer To Address Some Important Home Maintenance

It’s here. The long hot days of summer. Typically, it’s a quiet time for Southern California households. Kids are at camp, vacations may change your schedule and interrupt your weekly cleaning routine. But summer is a great time to catch up on projects before life gets hectic again in autumn. Master Clean has assembled three areas often neglected by homeowners.

Gutters

Spring rain and storms wreak havoc on your gutters and downspouts. Sudden rushes of water can exert pressure on gutters, pulling them away from the structure of your roof and leading to leaks and water seepage. Tree debris, bird activity, and airborne dust can collect in your gutters, clogging them and reducing their effectiveness. Summer is a great time to take care of your gutters.

*Gutter Tip: Always use caution or, better yet, hire a professional to maintain your gutters. And ask them to take before and after photos so you don’t have to inspect.

Sliding Door Tracks

Sliding glass doors get a real workout every summer. Don’t struggle with a sticky door track when this area of summer home maintenance is so easy. Simply fill a bucket with warm water and some dish detergent and gently clean the aluminum or steel tracks. Use a screwdriver wrapped in a cloth to clean inside the tracks. Dry with a clean cloth. Apply some household lubricant such as WD-40. If you’re a Master Clean client, just ask your cleaning technician to inspect your sliding glass doors – we’ll take care of that for you.

Washing Machine Hoses

Here’s a scary one. Did you know your washing machine is connected to hot AND cold water taps? And those taps are always open. The only protection your home has against a devastating flood is likely a plastic hose connected to your washer. Now, combine that scenario with a 10-day summer vacation on some far-away beach. Yikes! Here’s a summer home maintenance order: as soon as you finish reading this article, inspect your washing machine hoses – particularly the hot water side (it gets a lot more wear, due to the high temperature). Look for bulges and cracks in the hose. If those hoses are older than two years, replace them.

Summer may be a quiet time, but that all the more reason to address a few critical systems in your home.