I am lucky that I actually enjoy cleaning. Especially if I can pop in my earbuds and turn on my audiobook, I don’t mind scrubbing the bathroom or weeding the flower beds. I don’t like living with mess or clutter, so cleaning can feel like a reward to myself.
No one, including me, wants to clean all the time though. There are weeks, no matter, how many loads I wash and fold, it seems like the laundry pile just won’t shrink. Keeping up with the relentless maintenance of a home can be exhausting, and trying to know where to start can feel like a task in and of itself.
I’m not here to point fingers. There are things on this list I need to do. But if you want to help refresh your home and keep it feeling comfortable, we’ll save you the work of coming up with your own maintenance list. These are the obvious signs that your home could use a little more love.
Peeling or Chipping Paint
Fall season is still kicking until Thanksgiving, but, unfortunately, Halloween season is past. That means your home shouldn’t look like a haunted house, unless you live in a Victorian gothic mansion, that is. Then haunt away.
But for the rest of us, the outside of the home should look sharp. Almost nothing makes a home look neglected as quickly as peeling paint. On the flip side, a freshly painted front door instantly makes a home look pulled together.
Don’t feel like you need to redo the entire exterior paint on your house. It may need just a few touch-ups here and there to bring it back to life. Before unpacking the paintbrush or rollers, make sure you check that the areas with peeling paint aren’t holding moisture, which could be a sign of bigger maintenance issues.
Overflowing Gutters
Cleaning out your gutters is one of the deep cleaning chores we suggest doing each fall. Leaving twigs, leaves, and other debris in your gutters makes it impossible for water to drain properly. When gutters overflow, water can spill over and stain your siding, damage your landscaping, and even lead to foundation problems. Take an afternoon to scoop the gunk from your gutters and to make sure the downspouts direct water away from your foundation.
Dirty Siding
Dust, pollen, mildew, and dirt can all discolor the exterior siding on your home. It’s the equivalent of the dark circles under your eyes. Without the right treatment, it just makes your home look tired. Luckily giving your siding a good cleaning can help it look as good as if you just added a fresh coat of paint.
Before you get out the pressure washer, check how the material of your siding should be washed. Some surfaces shouldn’t be pressure washed because it can damage the siding, paint, or caulking.
Dead Plants and Overgrown Landscaping
Getting your hands into the dirt and caring for the land and plants is good for the soul! Getting to care for your yard can be an act of hope and a reminder of our connectedness to nature.
True, there were times yard work isn’t fun. I distinctly remember The Incident with the Cicada and my fair share of hours weeding in high-humidity heat, but it’s just part of the experience of keeping the yard looking its best.
Your landscaping doesn’t need to look like you’re a professional gardener or like you got personalized tips from Martha Stewart, but it should look intentional. Dead shrubs, neglected flower beds, and overgrown hedges all signal that your landscaping is a bit forgotten (or, fairly, just that you haven’t had the time)!
If your yard feels like it’s getting out of hand, consider simplifying your landscaping. Remove dead plants, trim up your shrubs, pull weeds, and then stick to a flower bed or two that need consistent care.
Burned-Out Lightbulbs
No one wants to have to pull out their phone to shine a light as they’re walking up the pathway to your front door. About once a month, check the exterior lights on your house, including those by your front door, pathways, and garage. While you’re at it, clean the fixtures and remove any cobwebs. Same goes for the indoors, though you’re more likely to catch a light that’s gone out inside.
Damaged Caulk and Weather Stripping
Cracked, missing, or deteriorating caulk around windows, doors, tubs, and exterior trim can lead to problems with moisture, drafts, and pests. A drafty home isn’t just uncomfortable, it can be expensive, making your heating and cooling work overtime to compensate. And you really don’t have to be dealing with those bugs as often as you do.
Dirty Baseboards and Trim
Here’s some good news. Dusting and cleaning the baseboards is an easy enough job that anyone in the family can help with it. It’s a chore I often give to my young kids when they want to earn a little money. You may have to take over for tall door casings or window trim, but leave it to small hands to dust the baseboards.
Stained Grout
When I was a young adult, I remember going to the home of a member in our church congregation to help with some jobs around her house. The job I was assigned was to clean the grout in the kitchen tile. The tile was a creamy color to begin with, so I wasn’t sure how much of a visible difference cleaning the grout would make.
After an hour in the kitchen, on my hands and knees with a toothbrush as my cleaning companion, I had to admit there was a drastic difference. Things hadn’t looked bad before, but scrubbing the grout suddenly brought back the crisp, clean lines and lightness to the floor that we hadn’t realized was missing.
Loose Cabinet Handles and Hinges
This is an easy one. Tighten loose screws, adjust hinges, replace missing hardware, and break out the WD-40 for anything that squeaks.
Dusty or Dirty Air Vents
When you let your air vents fill up with dust and debris, you’re costing yourself both money and cleaning time, since dust will be recirculated around your house and your HVAC system, furnace, and air conditioner have to work much harder. Y
ou should call a professional about once a year to help you clean out your air vents, but routine cleaning is simple to do on your own. Start by turning off your HVAC system, removing the vent covers, and using a damp microfiber cloth to wipe them down with warm soapy water. Let the covers air dry, and then finish up by going over them with the vacuum. Not too bad, right?
Damaged Window Screens
Bent frames or small tears and holes in your window screens may seem minor, and they certainly aren’t the most urgent issue on this list. But if you hate bugs in your house, like me, clean, functioning window screens are must. The less I have to grab my shoe to squish an offending intruder, the happier I am. Even small damages to your window screens makes them useless, so you might as well keep up with their maintenance.
Dirty Windows
And speaking of windows, when was the last time you cleaned the tracks? Window tracks are notorious for collecting all kinds of grime. So pull out the vacuum and maybe a dust rag or two. After that, give your panes a good spritz with the glass cleaner and wipe away any residue. Sometimes we don’t realize how many little fingerprints have smudged our glass until we do.
Scratched, Scuffed, or Damaged Walls
Every home gets its scuffs and scrapes. That means life is happening at home! Still, those little fingerprints, chipped corners, and furniture scuffs can make a home feel unfinished. Choose one room a day, or more if you feel up to it, and patch holes, spackle and smooth damaged areas, and touch up paint where needed.
Carpet With Flattened, Stained, or Frayed Areas
I’ve lived in two apartments that were almost entirely carpeted, including under the dining area. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why anyone in their right minds would ever put carpet under where they plan to eat. It’s a nightmare to clean up and a target for stains that are tough to get out.
Carpet takes a beating, and once it starts getting worn, it doesn’t patina and age as well as alternatives like wood or stone. Staining, discoloration, flattening, and fraying at the edges just come with living in a home with carpet. Wear and tear is inevitable, but vacuuming regularly, treating spills quickly, and getting your carpets cleaned professionally every now and then will drastically improve the appearance of your carpet.
Lingering Unpleasant Smells
No matter how many candles you burn or fragrance diffusers you have, some smells simply can’t be masked, and trying to cover up a bad smell in your home rather than treating it is comparable to putting deodorant on without showering in the first place. A refrigerator that needs cleaning, lots of animals that live inside, or damp towels can leave a home smelling musty and dirty—and it’s often the first thing visitors notice.
If your home consistently smells a bit off, check for moisture issues, such as under sinks, in closets, or around the basement. Ensure you have proper ventilation, and dehumidify your home if necessary.
Dirty Appliances
I have felt a bit traumatized by community microwaves and refrigerators. At my first job out of college, the microwave in our office kitchen was so disgusting I regularly cleaned it myself just so I could heat up my lunch. No way I was putting my food in there when four other people’s meals were splattered around the top and sides.
Little messes easily accumulate in our appliances, but a scheduled wipe down can keep them from reaching gross (and unsafe) levels. Dump out the crumbs from the toaster. Toss the old food from the fridge and wipe away any leaks. Wash grease splatters by the stove and on the hood. Keep handles clean from grimy hands.
A Neglected Garage
The garage is often the catch-all space for miscellaneous objects and project supplies, from paint brushes to power tools. It’s easy for the stuff to stack up, but your garage shouldn’t have to be a maze. Organize like objects into bins, sweep regularly, and keep pathways clear.
Clutter
Have you heard the research about how drastically clutter affects women? It’s true. Women living in constant clutter experience high, sustained levels of cortisol, while men are nearly oblivious to the added knicknacks.
We can attributed much of this to the disproportionate load that women often carry of managing the household, so clutter signals a to-do list that can trigger added stress. While we’re getting better at sharing the load in partnerships, women still continue to be judged by different standards than men surrounding the expectations for home. Messy home? Women more often take the societal judgment, making the pressure higher and more acute for women.
Overgrown Trees and Shrubs
Big, beautiful trees are like jewelry to a home’s property. They add a sense of history to the landscape and keep a home from feeling too bare. As lovely as those trees can be, home-scraping branches, overgrown bushes, or climbing plants can cause serious damage to your home. If need be, have your trees and other plant life inspected by a qualified professional, especially if they’re growing close to structures or utility lines.
Cracked Walkways, Loose Steps, and Damaged Railings
I wouldn’t say I was a clumsy child or that I was particularly uncoordinated, but I took my fair share of topples outside. My mom always said that without fail, days before we were going to take a family picture or go to a doctor’s checkup, I would trip on the concrete and somehow scrape up my face.
I can’t blame all my bumps and scrapes on uneven pathways, but you don’t want the same injuries to happen to your guests on their way to your door. Cracked concrete, loose handrails, and wobbly pavers can signal a lack of maintenance, but more urgent is the fact that they can be safety hazards, especially for children and older visitors. Seasonal inspections can be as easy as walking the paths on your property.
Use the time to enjoy a break outside while also ensuring your driveway and walkways are ready to go.
Maintaining Your Home is About the Details
You don’t need to spend hours every weekend scanning your home for repairs. A little bit of consistency goes a long way. Develop the habit of noticing the little things, from the dripping faucet to the draft coming in under the door. Addressing small problems early keeps your home from needing costlier, more time-intensive repairs down the road.
You don’t need a perfectly renovated kitchen or impeccably manicured garden to have a home that feels beautiful and comfortable. Some of the coziest homes I’ve been in have been noticeably outdated and very simple. What made these homes feel so great was the care poured into them. They weren’t perfect, but they were loved and looked after.