The Lawhead Team would like to share the latest One Cool Thing about home maintenance must dos. Check it out:

• Clean Your Gutters: Check and clean gutters throughout the year to remove any debris. Also, thoroughly clean dirt or rime and replaced any missing caulk.
• Check The HVAC System: Change filters out once a month. Hire an HVAC professional for semi-annual maintenance to keep it operating correctly and potentially stave off an expensive replacement.
• Flush Out Any Plumbing Clogs: Regularly remove any grime or hair buildup in the shower; remove any gunk that accumulates near toilet valves; and replace worn flappers.
• Address Insect Problems: Don’t let bug problems escalate. Be especially cautious of wood-destroying bugs. Also, watch out for supersized bee hives and call in a professional to get the home’s yard sprayed.

Take a moment this weekend to get going on these fun summer preparation activities so your summer is a breeze!

1. Add lighter and brighter accents to your home – Get rid of the winter feel in your home and add some fresh cut flowers. Brightly colored flower pots outside with bright throw pillows on your patio furniture will help create a summer feel.
2. Clean out your freezer – To make more room for popsicles and burgers for the BBQ! Throw out anything that has been in your freezer for over a year.
3. Get your summer-time party dishes out – Do you have accident-proof dishware? Make sure your blender is ready for margaritas and you’ve done your research on Pinterest for some yummy warm weather appetizers.
4. Improve your summer breeze flow – Replace your air conditioners filter. If you have ceiling fans, make sure the blades are tilted upward as they spin to push air downward, creating a stronger draft.
5. Clean your windows – Invite summer inside with sparkly clean windows, inside and out! Change out your thick, heavy drapery for sheer material that flow in the summer breeze.
6. Pay special attention to your deck – Your patio or deck will be a main hangout this summer so why not spruce it up. Clean your outdoor furniture and add candles, flowers and pillows.
7. Clean up your BBQ – Disassemble your BBQ and clean all the parts with soapy water. Make sure to disconnect the gas first!

The Lawhead Team would like to share some helpful and easy home maintenance tips that even the least handy person can do themselves!

• Lights flicker – Many times a bulb will be loose. If groups of lights flicker, connections at the electrical panel may be loose, causing the power to arc which can cause fires! Shut off the circuits in your home and tighten loose connections within switch boxes.
• Refilling toilet tank – If you hear your toilet refilling on its own, check the chain. It may be too tight preventing the flapper from fully sealing. If that doesn’t work, replace the valve and flapper inside the toilet tank.
• Musty odors in your home – Mildew may be growing in your home where condensation is forming. Basements are most common for mildew. Keep your surfaces dry and increase air movement with a fan.
• Smelly sink – disinfect your drain by pouring a bottle of hydrogen peroxide down the sink.
• Food spoiling too quickly in the refrigerator – Your refrigerator temperature may be off. Too high or too low of temperature will spoil your food. If your fridge doesn’t already have a thermometer, purchase one and make sure each shelf stays between 37-40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Breezy in the house – If your home seems drafty and all the windows and doors are closed, check your window and door’s seals. Use caulking to fill in any cracks or holes that may be letting in cool or hot air.
• Change Your AC Filter – Dirty filters kill your AC’s efficiency, so install a new one in your home every month during the cooling season for central and window units (or clean them if you’ve got the washable type).

It doesn’t feel quite like winter now so some of these home maintenance tasks may even be performed before Spring.

In order to keep your home looking and performing its best, The Lawhead Team would like to share these spring home maintenance tips with our readers:

1. Perform a roof inspection. The roof is your home’s first line of defense against water damage. Don’t delay fixing leaks in your roof and avoid water damage when the next storm hits during spring.
2. Clean out your gutters. Fall time is when all the leaves and debris gather in your gutters. Before the spring rains hit, these gutters should be cleared out.
3. Replace or clean your HVAC filters in your home. We recommend twice a year but more if you have pets living in your home. A dirty filter makes your HVAC system work harder which not only uses more electricity but can also make your HVAC unit need repairs sooner than necessary.
4. Clean out your dryer vent. Of course you need to clean out your lint trap after every use but did you know lint can also make its way into the dryer vent? Cleaning your vent will save money on your electric bill as well as prevent a house fire.
5. When was the last time you checked your washing machine fill hose? A leaky hose under pressure can cause major damage in a short period of time so make sure you check for cracks that can become leaks.
6. Vacuum your refrigerator coils. Pull the fridge out from the wall and vacuum up the dust that has collected on the coils located on the back of the fridge. This will avoid your fridge from working harder which means less of an electric bill. A great spring cleaning activity!
7. Replace batteries in your smoke detectors. You never know when you’ll need to rely on your smoke detector to warn you of a fire…better safe than sorry so replace your batteries before spring.

While Southern California only experiences a relatively mild winter compared to the rest of the country, it is nice to have your fireplace roaring as it storms outside.

If you have a wood burning fireplace at home, there are some important maintenance tips we would like to share with our readers:

• Clean your wood-burning fireplace’s interior including its floor regularly. Sweep out or vacuum up cold ashes. Make sure to wear a dust mask and gloves when cleaning the fireplace.
• Check the interior of your wood-burning fireplace’s chimney for creosote buildup. Creosote is a dark colored or black substance that can accumulate if wood isn’t burning completely. It is flammable and, therefore, a buildup of creosote is a fire hazard and should be cleaned away with a creosote remover as soon as possible.
• Hire a professional chimney sweep to inspect your wood-burning fireplace at least once a year and more often if creosote builds up on the chimney walls rapidly.
• Inspect your chimney cap regularly. A chimney cap is used to keep out rain, birds, squirrels and other animals, and other debris from entering the chimney.
• Watch for soot buildup in the chimney of your wood-burning fireplace. Soot is softer than creosote, flammable and should be cleaned out of the chimney regularly.
• If possible, burn hardwoods like maple, oak, ash and birch. The advantages of hardwoods are that they burn hot and long; have less pitch and sap, making them cleaner to handle; and tend to cause less creosote buildup. On the other hand, they generally are more expensive than softwoods.
• Take caution anytime there is smoke indoors from your wood-burning fireplace and immediately correct any problems that you find. Possible causes of smoke are a dirty chimney with creosote or soot buildup, other debris in the chimney, a damper that isn’t open or is only partly open and wood that is not burning completely.

Your garage door is a vital component of your home, however so many of us seem to neglect or simply take advantage of the easy access a garage door creates.

Make sure you keep your garage door in perfect working condition with the following tips:

1. Check Your Bolts – Visually inspect the bolts connected to your garage door and tighten any that are loose.
2. Adjust The Opener – Make sure your automatic door opener is functioning properly. If it slams shut or pushes against the ground before it stops, your electric opener can be adjusted. In most cases, there will be a dial-or sometimes a screw-that allows you to adjust the up and down limits of your garage door.
3. Lube Moving Parts – Use a lube-weather product from your local hardware store to keep your garage door opening and closing properly.
4. Check Your Springs – If you lift the door halfway and the door pulls all the way up, your springs are too tight. If you lift your garage door halfway and the door falls to the ground, your springs are too loose. Consult with a professional to have the springs adjusted or replaced. You should not attempt to adjust the springs yourself, as they can be very dangerous.
5. Wash The Door – Regularly wash your garage door to help prevent premature aging of the door.
6. Check Weather Stripping – If your door’s weather stripping is falling off or cracked, apply a new weather stripping to ensure a strong seal. If your weather stripping is not making a strong seal, you are likely loosing heat-thereby costing your family money.