Spring ahead the clocks is this coming Sunday, March 9th at 2am, which instantly becomes 3am and we lose an hour of sleep. But we gain an extra hour of daylight in the evening for the next eight months. This is always my wakeup call that spring is upon us, and it is time to button things up inside and get ready for all the activity outside. I’ve created this list of once-a-year maintenance items to do as I adjust to the extra hour of light and keep myself and my home from problems in the future:
- Change the clocks that don’t change themselves forward one hour.
- Replace the batteries in smoke detectors. Even hard-wired ones sometimes have a backup battery.
- Replace smoke detectors that are more than 10 years old.
- Replace the batteries in flashlights.
- Replace expired items in first aid kit.
- Replace expired items in emergency kit.
- Replace the air filter.
- Check the fire extinguisher pressure and/or expiration date. Replace as needed.
- Go through the refrigerator and pantry and get rid of the expired food.
- Clean and caulk the shower and tub tile.
- Clean the dryer hoses.
- Clean the oven.
- Reverse the direction of the ceiling fans so they blow down.
- Clean and remove vegetation around and on the house.
- Fire up all the lawn equipment to be sure it is working well.
I know we still have ice melting, but spring really is just around the corner.
Enjoy!
Mike
