This is a list of Household Tasks that must be done on a regular basis, to be used by others as a guide should they want to build a comprehensive maintenance schedule for their home.

Resist the urge to be clever. Do not post obscure tasks that only you or a tiny segment of people would ever need to do.

Post in list format. Each task to appear in its own paragraph or line.

Do not repeat tasks. Read the list before posting.

Smoke detector batteries should be changed every 6 months. Keep 9-volt batteries on hand, they have a long enough shelf life to last more than a year in storage. Change the batteries when the time changes to and from Daylight Savings Time, or on Jan 1 and June 1, if so inclined.

Lubricate your door hinges annually. A dry film lubricant or graphite lube is recommended. Use a piece of cardboard with a hole cut out to shape in the center to protect from overspray. I, personally, use a syringe dropper with with a quaility gun oil or synthetic oil without issue. The oil seeps in via capillary action if you lift the door up in its hinge while opening and closing. No squeaks in this household.

Tankless water heater should be descaled annually. They have pump kits that you should own that allows you to circulate vinegar or an acidic descaling solution through the heat exchanger for a period of time to dissolve scale build up.

Dryer vent

Needs to be kept clean to prevent fires!

Drain water heater tank anually or more frequently, depending on water quality. Check T&P relief valve and clean if needed. Replace anode rod every 5 years or as needed.

Lubricate garage door springs annually. Make sure bolts are tight. Make sure chain tension is within spec and lubricate annually.

Cleaning gutters is something I do at least twice a year.

Make sure your smoke detectors are no older than 10 years old. If you have any source of combustion in your house, make sure you also have CO detectors that are less than ten years old.

https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Ed...taining-smoke-alarms



https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Ed...ment/Carbon-monoxide

Run a cup of vinegar through the coffeemaker every month or two to remove mineral build up which slows them way down.

Clean the toilets weekly or more frequently with the WORKS blue, and showers tubs with WORKS green to remove buildup.

Buy a cheep VOM at Harbor Fright and Check batteries in musical instruments, Tuners and pedals often. Nothing is worse than a battery crapping out in the middle of a show.

Clean out the bores of your shotguns with solvent and put in new preservative to keep corrosion away.

Make sure rifle bores in storage are coated too.

Go through the refrigerator the day before trash day and toss expired foods. Also empty trash cans in the house.

Check tire pressure once a month and coolant and oil every few days
Do the same on lawn equipment.

Check the balance of the garage door springs. For roll up style doors, disconnect the door from the opener track, and lift the door up. The door should balance open at around waist height.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Aeteocles,

Check the moisture absorbers in safes and dry boxes monthly.

Furnace filters changed every 3 months

Vehicle and exterior home locks lubricated annually with lock lube (eg TriFlow)

Send off lawn and garden soil samples annually for soil testing. It’ll let you know if you need lime, if you’ve reached saturation limit on P and need to buy fertilizer with zero P, magnesium (calcium doesn’t work well without it), sulfur, iron, etc.

Annually clean the seals on the bottom door of your dishwasher with clr or vinegar. When these get gunked up the dishwasher will leak and make a huge mess.

Monthly change baking soda in fridge

Check the salt level in your water softener's brine tank.

Annually, inspect exterior caulking around doors and windows for cracks/separation, and recaulk as needed.

Monthly, do a quick walkaround of the house to check the roof for missing/drooping shingles.

A few times per year, put your rain gear on when it's raining decently hard, and do a walkaround of the exterior of the house to check for leaks, proper gutter workings, proper drainage away from the house, etc.

Never let the garage fridge run out of beer.

Dryer vents and associated ducts should be "swept" (like a chimney sweep) annually..

I saw several dryer fires while on ships because although the vent got cleaned after each use the ducting gathered lots of lint and eventually will clog or burn

if you are on a septic tank/field pour some yeast/ridX down the drain every month

Check fire extinquishers

Run Clean washing machine cycle