9 expert tips on how to get your home ready for summer

The only downside of changing seasons is the home maintenance work it brings along. Now, anyone who’s ever lived in a condo will tell you that one of the brightest perks of living there is the concierge convenience. For any maintenance issue, all you have to do is make a call, a luxury homeowners don’t have. But now there’s Rümi.

In case you haven’t already taken advantage of this boon of a service, Rümi is a home solutions platform offering everything you need to keep your home in the best of conditions. This includes home inspection consultation, duct cleaning, yard maintenance, heating and cooling maintenance, plumbing and almost anything else you could possibly need.

Now that we’ve officially brought out our patio furniture, we decided to talk to one of Rümi’s certified professional home inspectors. And he gave us a 9-point checklist to help us ready our homes for the season ahead.

Stay on top of furnace maintenance

Contrary to popular belief, you need to make sure your furnace is working properly before you stop using it for the rest of the season. After all the work it did through winter, now is a good time to tune up your furnace and have it ready for the next winter.

Check up on the exterior

Now that winter is over, you want to check the siding all the way from the ground. Make sure everything looks good. If you see any missing shingles, vents that aren’t attached, detached siding or signs that birds have been nesting, now is the time to take care of it.

Adjust the thermostat

This might seem like nothing but knowing when it’s time to adjust your thermostat from heat to cool can save you the effort of repeated adjustments and save some energy as well. Right about now (as the temperature rises) is when you want to adjust the thermostat in preparation for the AC season.

Test your smoke detectors & CO alarms

This isn’t just a maintenance issue, it is a safety concern too. Make sure your CO alarms are working properly. You can do this by pressing the test button on each of your alarms. As for detectors, check the back of each detector as there will be an expiration date. Typically, you will want your detectors to be 10 years or newer.

Inspect your basement for signs of water

It’s important to look for water in the corners of your basement, especially where the downspouts are located outside. The first sign of water damage is swelling baseboards.

Scan through the attic

Open the attic hatch and scan it thoroughly for signs of animals, moisture or disconnected vents. You don’t really have to go inside the attic to do this. In fact, it is recommended that you don’t go inside unless you’re an experienced homeowner. It is best to inspect the attic by poking your head inside and using a flashlight to identify issues.

Don’t forget the garage door

An often-forgotten aspect of home maintenance is the garage door. You want to check all three parts – the door itself, the tracks and the sensors. If the door is unusually loud or doesn’t operate smoothly, it’s time to lubricate the door. You can either do it yourself or if you’re anything like us, get a garage door technician.

Get the carpets professionally cleaned

No matter how clean we are or how often we vacuum the carpets, they do need professional cleaning from time to time.After months of living inside during the cold months, the carpets are due to be professionally cleaned to remove any stains, pet hair or the day-to-day grime that gets built up.

Turn on the water

Remember how we shut off water to the exterior hose bibs for winter? Well, it’s time to turn it back on. Turn on the water in the basement and check to ensure it’s flowing to all the outside taps.

That was our expert-curated list. Comprehensive, right? While these tips should have your home ready for the heat ahead, if you’d rather leave it to the pros, we suggest you check out all the Home Service Cleaning Bundles Rümi has. From inspection to duct cleaning, yard cleaning and everything in between, they’ll be sure to get your home ready for the season!