Homekeeping on Friday - the annual home maintenance checklist
New year. New resolutions. New outlook. It makes you motivated, doesn't it? You want to tidy and organize and tackle all of those home projects you've neglected.
You need to call the gutter cleaning guy, right? When did you do it last? And what about the windows... when was the last time they were glazed? Was it in 2014 or 2015? It's all running together.
Enter the Annual Home Maintenance Checklist. You might already have one of these. If so, read on anyway and comment below if I missed anything.
You can see I'm already getting the filters out to change.
This is the one I created based on our needs. I started it because I had this tendency to let the display silver tarnish up. I'd forget when I did it last and I'd let it turn black before I'd address it. After I created it, I used a Word document that I printed out and laminated. I would keep in the laundry room. It was easy to glance at and see what was coming up that month.
However, I recently switched over to an Excel document because occasionally I re-shake them up. I realized it might make more sense to do one project or another at a different time of year... and I can do that best if it's kept digitally. Last year, I printed it out and re-laminated it twice and it was then that I decided to go solely electronic. Now, I just check it off of my iPad at the beginning of every month. It's also easy for me to keep more long term notes for things that aren't even annual.
Your list will be different from mine. Some of you live on acreage that has fences that require upkeep. Some of you have swimming pools. Not everyone has a CentralVac system. Not everyone has copper pots to polish. Just think about your home and your routines. Consider the things that you want to do and what you need to maintain.
You don't have to use Word or Excel necessarily, but I would strongly consider it. If you simply write it on a white board or calendar in your mudroom, it won't have the sense of permanence. You'll have to recreate it every year. Digital allows you to add and subtract easily, and Excel in particular makes it easy since the data in those cells is quickly manipulated. If you put in a pool at home, then you can add necessary line items for it. If you give away all your sterling to your grandchildren, you can strike its polishing off of your list.
It will take you some time thinking about it to create a list. I find myself still adding to mine, but do please go ahead and use mine as inspiration. It's a mixture of true maintenance items, like having the HVAC serviced, and more of what I consider "homekeeping" projects, like purging the freezer and fluffing my flower arranging closet. Additionally, some of them, like addressing the flower arranging closet, won't take much to complete. For that project, I simply look at my supplies and see if I will need more floral wire soon or if my shears need to be cleaned, oiled or sharpened. It's not that hard to do, but I know it needs regular annual attention and without a prompt, I'll never remember when I did it last...and frankly, I'll probably never get to it all! There is something so gratifying about checking every one of those boxes off each month.
You will know what works for you and you'll know how to live with your list. For me, with the silver for instance, I know that I will polish it at least twice a year because it's on my checklist that way... but that doesn't mean I can't polish it more often than that if necessary. That's not written anywhere on my list but I know it. You'll get into routines with your checklist as well once you get it going.
So start your list, loves! Walk around your house and consider every system, great or small, that touches your life and requires annual/semi-annual/monthly attention and start writing them down to jump start your checklist. You might already have one of your own... then look mine over and see if you are inspired to add anything you had overlooked.
2020 will be a great year!
Laura
POSTSCRIPT - I'm writing this, literally, within hours of publishing the post above and I've already thought of one more to add... purge the medicine cabinet! How had I never thought of that before now? I went to Walgreens tonight and replaced some Neosporin and as soon as I looked at one expired bottle of something it hit me like a ton of bricks that I needed to add that to my checklist. This is why it's good to use an electronic version. I can always add. I think I'll try to work this project in during August or September. Might be a good idea to have it done before the start of cold and flu season.
You need to call the gutter cleaning guy, right? When did you do it last? And what about the windows... when was the last time they were glazed? Was it in 2014 or 2015? It's all running together.
Enter the Annual Home Maintenance Checklist. You might already have one of these. If so, read on anyway and comment below if I missed anything.
You can see I'm already getting the filters out to change.
This is the one I created based on our needs. I started it because I had this tendency to let the display silver tarnish up. I'd forget when I did it last and I'd let it turn black before I'd address it. After I created it, I used a Word document that I printed out and laminated. I would keep in the laundry room. It was easy to glance at and see what was coming up that month.
However, I recently switched over to an Excel document because occasionally I re-shake them up. I realized it might make more sense to do one project or another at a different time of year... and I can do that best if it's kept digitally. Last year, I printed it out and re-laminated it twice and it was then that I decided to go solely electronic. Now, I just check it off of my iPad at the beginning of every month. It's also easy for me to keep more long term notes for things that aren't even annual.
Your list will be different from mine. Some of you live on acreage that has fences that require upkeep. Some of you have swimming pools. Not everyone has a CentralVac system. Not everyone has copper pots to polish. Just think about your home and your routines. Consider the things that you want to do and what you need to maintain.
You don't have to use Word or Excel necessarily, but I would strongly consider it. If you simply write it on a white board or calendar in your mudroom, it won't have the sense of permanence. You'll have to recreate it every year. Digital allows you to add and subtract easily, and Excel in particular makes it easy since the data in those cells is quickly manipulated. If you put in a pool at home, then you can add necessary line items for it. If you give away all your sterling to your grandchildren, you can strike its polishing off of your list.
It will take you some time thinking about it to create a list. I find myself still adding to mine, but do please go ahead and use mine as inspiration. It's a mixture of true maintenance items, like having the HVAC serviced, and more of what I consider "homekeeping" projects, like purging the freezer and fluffing my flower arranging closet. Additionally, some of them, like addressing the flower arranging closet, won't take much to complete. For that project, I simply look at my supplies and see if I will need more floral wire soon or if my shears need to be cleaned, oiled or sharpened. It's not that hard to do, but I know it needs regular annual attention and without a prompt, I'll never remember when I did it last...and frankly, I'll probably never get to it all! There is something so gratifying about checking every one of those boxes off each month.
You will know what works for you and you'll know how to live with your list. For me, with the silver for instance, I know that I will polish it at least twice a year because it's on my checklist that way... but that doesn't mean I can't polish it more often than that if necessary. That's not written anywhere on my list but I know it. You'll get into routines with your checklist as well once you get it going.
So start your list, loves! Walk around your house and consider every system, great or small, that touches your life and requires annual/semi-annual/monthly attention and start writing them down to jump start your checklist. You might already have one of your own... then look mine over and see if you are inspired to add anything you had overlooked.
2020 will be a great year!
Laura
POSTSCRIPT - I'm writing this, literally, within hours of publishing the post above and I've already thought of one more to add... purge the medicine cabinet! How had I never thought of that before now? I went to Walgreens tonight and replaced some Neosporin and as soon as I looked at one expired bottle of something it hit me like a ton of bricks that I needed to add that to my checklist. This is why it's good to use an electronic version. I can always add. I think I'll try to work this project in during August or September. Might be a good idea to have it done before the start of cold and flu season.
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