Take advantage of warm weather while playing or doing chores to also cast a protective eye on your home and landscaping. By paying attention, you’ll learn to spot deterioration or changes before they turn into problems.

Give your home an energy audit
Take an hour to walk around your home with a notepad in hand, taking inventory of gaps and cracks. Experts estimate that you can save 20% on heating and cooling bills by plugging leaks. Start your inspection inside. Turn off the electricity at the circuit box, then remove switch-plate covers to look for gaps. (Replace them with insulated covers for $3 to $4 each or install foam inserts — also called gaskets — for about 49 cents each. Both can be purchased at hardware stores.) You can insulate phone-jack covers, too.

Next, check the junctures where windows meet walls, walls meet floors and pipes and wires enter the home, plugging gaps with caulk. Other leaky zones include fireplace dampers, mail slots, window-mounted (or wall-mounted) air conditioners, attic doors, baseboards and weather stripping surrounding doors. Look for daylight, feel for drafts and listen for rattles, all clues to escaping heat. Next, check the house from the outside, examining the places where pipes, vents or wiring enter. Examine siding for gaps or damage, paying particular attention to corners where the material joins and where it meets other materials, like chimneys, windows or the foundation.

• Bing: Download a home-energy audit form

If you’d rather get a professional checkup, call your utility company for referrals. Many utilities even provide rebates for home-energy audits performed by recommended auditors.

Insulate hot-water pipes
Insulate the hot-water pipes in the basement or crawl space to save on heating costs next winter. Insulating pipes is done by snapping foam jackets – use pre-slit, hollow-core, flexible foam pipe insulation (called “sleeves”), purchased at a hardware store. (Prices vary but, for example, a 6-foot-long piece of foam insulation for half-inch copper pipe might cost less than a dollar.) When shopping, know your pipe’s diameter to get the correct fit. See Department of Energy installation instructions. Exposed pipes pinch your wallet twice: You waste water running it as you wait for it to heat up, and you waste fuel when heat is lost as hot water runs through exposed pipes.

• Tip: Slip sleeves on pipes running between the hot-water tank and the wall and also insulate cold-water pipes for the first 3 feet after they enter the house.

Clean patio furniture
Mix up a bucketful of soapy bleach solution to maintain your patio furniture. Here’s the recipe: 2/3 cup trisodium phosphate (TSP), 1/3 cup laundry soap powder, a quart of bleach and three quarts of warm water. Remove cushions before spraying. Launder removable fabric coverings. Use a rag and soft-bristle brush to remove embedded dirt on synthetic coverings, metal and wood furniture. Rinse thoroughly and let dry. Spray wicker furniture with water and protect it with paste wax. Simply shoot the garden hose at resin furniture. To remove rust from metal furniture or bolts use Naval Jelly, available at hardware stores, with a wire brush. Wear rubber gloves and follow directions on the package.

	Home Repair – Maintaining and Repairing Your House

Clean concrete
Power washers can be dangerous to decks (in the hands of amateurs, they can damage wood), but they’re just the tool for cleaning concrete sidewalks, driveways and patio and pool areas. If your garage or carport floor is marred by oil stains, saturate the area with a solution made from a cup of TSP mixed with a gallon of hot water. (Wear goggles and rubber gloves.) Let the solution soak for a half-hour, then scrub with a stiff-bristled brush. Rinse thoroughly and repeat as necessary.

While washing concrete, watch to ensure that the hard surface directs water away from the home’s foundation. If the concrete sends water toward the foundation, take action. First, inspect around the outside of the foundation for damage, looking for cracks and crumbling. Then check from the inside (go into the basement or crawl space) for water stains and wet soil. If water is getting into the foundation, hire a home inspector or structural engineer to help find a solution. You may need to redirect the drainage by removing or correcting the slope of the concrete. If that’s not feasible, a sump pump could be used to mechanically remove the water. A sump pump’s operation is triggered when water reaches a predetermined level under the home, setting off a floating switch.

Slide show:  7 ways to increase your home’s curb appeal

Slip ‘feet’ under deck planters
Since standing water rots wood, make certain that water drains directly onto the ground when you water plants in pots and decorative planters on decks. Make drainage room by setting pots on pot “feet” (sold at garden-supply stores that carry pots). Or use pot stands – some have wheels that enable you to move heavy pots. Or for a frugal solution, just prop bricks under the pots, taking care to ensure that they’re stable.

Patch cracks in concrete
Inspect concrete for cracks. To patch them, clean the cracked area well with a wire brush and small broom. To repair narrow cracks, use masonry crack filler. It comes in cartridges and can be injected into the crack. For bigger openings, apply vinyl concrete patching compound, smoothing the surface with a putty knife.

Prune or remove problem trees
Get a certified arborist to inspect your trees and tell you if any are hazardous. Trees hanging over your roof, rubbing against gutters or dropping loads of leaves and sticks onto the roof should be pruned. Overhanging branches can provide a ladder for rats and squirrels, and diseased or damaged trees may fall on your home in a storm. A typical arborist’s fee is $65 an hour. (Use the American Society of Consulting Arborists’ directory to find an arborist near you.) For pruning or tree removal, call a tree-care service (here’s the International Society of Arboriculture’s directory.)

Trees can bring up boundary issues. They may straddle the property line between you and your neighbor or the branches from your neighbor’s tree may drop fruit onto your land. Although state tree laws vary, in general you have the right to trim branches on your side of the property line as long as you don’t endanger the life of the tree. If you kill the neighbor’s tree, you are liable. An arborist who understands local laws can be a great mediator between neighbors.

Clean exhaust fans
Exhaust fans do a lot of work in your home. In bathrooms, they push out moisture to keep walls and floors dry and prevent the growth of mold. (Be sure to run the fan before taking a bath or shower and keep it running for 15 minutes after you leave the room, so moisture has a chance to clear.) Before you begin cleaning the fan, turn off  its power at the circuit breaker box. Dust the vents on the fan’s cover (do this monthly). Use a screwdriver to remove the cover. Gently clean the inside of the cover and the fan blade with a slightly damp cloth or spray cleaner and a paper towel. Dry and reassemble. Do this twice a year.

Read:  30 quick fixes and tips for everyday home problems

In kitchens, exhaust fans vent moisture along with oily fumes. Making sure the electricity is disconnected at the circuit breaker box, start by removing the washable filter from the stove’s exhaust fan. You’ll find the fan either in the range between the burners or in a hood over the stove. If the fan can be pulled out, unplug it, remove it and extract the filter. Otherwise, just remove the filter. Put it through the dishwasher or soak it in warm soapy water. Vacuum the opening of the fan, then clean the blades and housing with a cloth and spray cleaner or degreaser.

Mend the fence
Even the cheapest new fences cost thousands of dollars. Protect your investment by looking for damage and making prompt repairs. Before touring your fence line, mow the grass low so you’ll have good visibility. Watch for signs that dogs have tunneled under the fence. Training and a watchful eye are the best ways to prevent dogs from digging. Otherwise, attaching a 2-foot-wide apron of wire mesh around the inside perimeter of the fence may work.

As you walk the fence, test the strength of the connections by gently tugging posts and slats to ensure they’re well-attached. Check fence posts for signs of rot (poke soft spots in the wood for crumbling or decay). Remove and replace the damaged areas. Keep fences painted or stained to protect the wood. Repaint or stain when the original finish is thin, cracked or peeling. Before painting, hose off and scrub dirty boards, letting them dry thoroughly.

Repel deer
Deer can demolish hundreds or thousands of dollars of landscaping in an evening or two. There are several things you can do to keep deer away from your investment:

• Use deer-proof plantings. Identify deer-resistant plants or check a plant’s status with Rutgers University’s New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station’s tool. Bear in mind that such lists are no guarantee: Deer often eat plants they’re not supposed to like.
• Install a mini fence or put bird netting around prized plants. Garden stores have these materials and can instruct you how to use them.
• Spray with a home-made deer repellent. Search online garden forums for recipes for repellents that blend eggs, hot sauce (or cayenne pepper), raw garlic, yogurt or buttermilk and dish soap. Spray every three or four days and after a rain.
• Purchase one of the better commercial deer repellent sprays. Check with your local garden store or cooperative extension master gardeners for recommendations. Wikipedia lists cooperative-extension services around the country, as does Bayer.

When the weather turns warm, follow the impulse to fling open the windows and let in the fresh air and light: The sun’s ultraviolet rays are lethal to many harmful bacteria. May’s the time to ready your home for summer.

Baby your cooling system
Before firing up your air conditioner, change or clean the filter. You’ll want to change it every couple of months while the system is in use. The owner’s manual will explain how to change filters and clean coils and fins in the exterior evaporator unit. With the air conditioning turned off, check the condensing unit for dirt, brushing and dusting it. Trim any surrounding shrubs. Remove the pan from the bottom of the unit, clean and replace it.

Keep algae, mildew and mold from forming:

• Central air conditioning units have a pipe that drips evaporated moisture onto the ground. If this clogs, water can back up into the house. Each spring, clean the line by removing the cap at the access hole on top of the pipe. Pour a cup of bleach into it, letting the bleach drain to the ground. If a clog has formed farther up the pipe, attach the suction end of a wet-dry vacuum to the pipe’s end, wrap duct tape around the joint to create a temporary seal and run the vacuum briefly to remove the clog. (This article, by the California Energy Commission, explains how air conditioners work.)
• Window units: Stop the growth of algae and mold (and musty smells) by pouring two capfuls of bleach into the condensation pan (the drip pan located under the cooling coils). Do this monthly while you’re using the air conditioner. Also, dust the unit regularly.
• Evaporative coolers: Open the unit and remove the drip pan. Examine it for leaks or rust. Replace cooler pads each spring.

Put the furnace to bed for the summer
Check the furnace filter, holding it up to the light to see if it’s dark and dirty and in need of a change. The instruction manual will tell you where to find these filters and how to remove and replace them. Vacuum the openings and grilles at heating and ventilation vents, registers and ducts.

Service the furnace and air conditioner
The transition from cool to warm weather is the sign that it’s time to take care of the appliances that keep you comfortable through the year. Call a professional to perform annual service on a furnace, air conditioner or evaporative cooler. Act early to book an appointment so you can avoid the summer rush. Call the company that installed the appliance or check the Yellow Pages for licensed heating, ventilation and air conditioning specialists. (Learn about evaporative coolers on MSN Money: “Keep cool without pricey AC.”)

Replace vacuum cleaner bags
Remove the vacuum cleaner bag outdoors so you don’t release dust and allergens back into the house. Wear a bandana or dust mask to protect your lungs. While you have the vacuum cleaner open, dust it inside and wipe down the inside parts with a thin rag dipped in warm, soapy water and wrung out well. Keep water from the motor and electrical parts. Soak the vacuum tools in a bucket of soapy warm water, rinse and dry them. Let the machine air dry before installing a fresh bag and closing it up. Check the owner’s manual to learn how often to wash or replace filters in some newer vacuum cleaners.

Vacuum refrigerator coils
Remove the front cover from the refrigerator and use the wand attachment on the vacuum cleaner to carefully suck out the dust and dried bits of macaroni and dog food that have worked their way under the fridge.

Store free-standing electric heaters
Dust, vacuum or wipe down their surfaces and check cords and plugs for fraying and loose wires before putting them into storage.

Wash windows
Cleaning all the windows and window coverings in your home is a big, satisfying and several-hours-long project. Choose a sunny day and, if possible, get someone to work with you.

Remove curtains and blinds if you can. Clean windows and window trim, inside and out. Start by brushing (with a dry broom) or dusting the trim. If it’s really dirty, wipe it down with a rag and soapy water. Outdoors, use a hose to rinse off the soap. To clean the glass, use a good-quality squeegee, the tool of professional window washers (for a demonstration, watch this instructional video on YouTube). Before purchasing a squeegee, check the width of your smallest windows. Assemble a pole (unscrew the handle from a broom) that fits your squeegee’s handle, a microfiber cloth and a bucket. Use a few drops of liquid dish soap or a teaspoon of TSP in a two-gallon bucket of warm water. Many professionals like TSP, or trisodium phosphate, a powdered stain remover and degreaser found at hardware stores, for a streak-free finish. (Caution using TSP: In a hot solution, it can remove or take the gloss off paints and can darken aluminum or wood.) Apply the cleaning solution with a rag or mop. Immediately squeegee it off, wiping the blade between strokes to minimize dripping. Do one window at a time. Use the squeegee on the pole for hard-to-reach places. Consider engaging a professional to do second-story windows.

Clean and repair window screens
On a sunny day, take window screens out of storage and lay them on the grass, sidewalk or deck. Dust with a soft cloth or brush off dust with a clean paint brush. Dip a big (roughly the size of your hand), soft-bristle brush in warm, soapy water and gently scrub each side of the screen. Hose off each screen and put them in the sun to dry. Avoid tearing or pulling screens from their frames. You can mend small tears with a needle and thread.

If you need to replace an entire screen, it isn’t hard. The mesh is held in place by a strip of tubing that fits into a channel along the edge of the metal frame. Buy the mesh and tubing by the yard at a hardware store (bring measurements or the frame with you to the store, along with a sample of the tubing your window needs) and follow these steps:

• Remove the old tubing (use a screwdriver to pry it out) and lift off the screen.
• Cut the replacement screen larger than needed, fit it tightly to the frame while tucking the tubing back into the channel with a screwdriver. If you’ve got many screens to replace, consider buying a special tool to push tubing into the channel.

If you don’t want to do this yourself, check the Yellow Pages for window dealers who’ll fix broken screens, calling several to compare prices.

Check outdoor hoses and irrigation systems
Freezing and thawing can heave the ground and even crack pipes and hoses, so turn on the water pressure and see how your irrigation system responds before you need it. Look for leaks, breaks, pooling water or clogged sprinkler heads. Repair, replace or call in the pros to get your irrigation system ready to run.

Finally, it’s spring. To celebrate, do a few improvements indoors — tweaking your home’s energy efficiency and getting doors to operate smoothly — and then get outdoors to do some work that shows off your home’s exterior. Install a new screen door or repair an old one. Maintain fireplaces and gas appliances while avoiding the scammers who pop out of the woodwork like bugs this season. Repair fences. Remove stubborn stains from concrete garage floors, patios and sidewalks. And try one or all of our eight cheap and fun ways to give your home’s entrance some exciting spring sparkle.

Inside
Install a programmable thermostat
Energy is wasted when you push up the temperature when the room feels cold or turn down the heat manually when it’s too warm. You can save about $180 a year with one of these devices.

A programmable thermostat lets you set the temperature in your home, then leave it. The most useful products give you options for establishing different temperatures for day and night (62 at night, for example, and 65 during the day), weekdays and weekends (keep the house cooler while you’re away at work and warmer when you’re home) and also let you turn the heat way down during vacations without changing your daily settings. (Learn more and find out how to get a federal tax credit and possible rebates in this Energy Star article on programmable thermostats)

• How to save on home heating bills

Cut energy expenses further
While you are in the mood to reduce energy consumption, call your electric utility and/or your heating-fuel company to ask about financial incentives for installing energy-efficient appliances or improvements. Some utilities subsidize the cost of improvements: adding insulation or weather stripping, or installing that programmable thermostat, for example. Others give rebates for purchasing Energy Star appliances such as water heaters, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, heat pumps and fans. Also, remember to take the federal tax credit for such purchases. See the entire list at the Energy Star site. Senior citizens may qualify for additional subsidies.

Look for additional savings: Many states offer additional incentives. Find programs in your state on this map, at the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.

Bing: Search and decide Find ways to reduce energy costs Learn about rebates for home improvement Get ideas for your home’s front entry

Straighten out problem doors
Walk around the house with a can of silicone lubricant and a rag, trying each door. If a door is sticky, open it partway and pull the hinge pin out. The pin is found in the center of the hinge, in the joint between the plate on the wall and the one on the door. Lightly oil the pin and the hole into which it will fit, using the rag to stop drips. Drop the pin back in place. (Find inspiration and tips at “Door repair 101: How to fix a squeaky door hinge, gaps and more.”) If a pin is stuck in a hinge, use a hammer and small screwdriver to knock it all the way out. Sand off accumulated oil, dust and rust from pin and lightly lubricate it before reinstalling. You may have to do this with both pins.

Outside
Repair or replace screen doors
Get ready for bug season by hanging screen doors. You can repair torn screens yourself:

• Measure the screen opening. You’ll need overage, so add at least an inch to each side. Bring the measurements to a hardware store and purchase a new length of screen.
• The screen is held in place by a flexible cord fitted into a channel that runs around the screen frame. Lift out the cord. If it is old and brittle, measure it and buy new cord at the hardware store.
•  Place the new screen over the opening, fit it snugly in place by settling the cord in its channel around the entire opening (poke it in place with a screwdriver). Trim the excess screen with scissors or a box cutter.

If the door sags, see if you can tighten it by replacing missing or corroded hinge screws.  If that doesn’t work, or if the door is bent or battered, purchase and install a new aluminum screen door.

Install a chimney cap
You could send out an invitation to birds and squirrels to come nest in the warmth of your chimney, or you could install a cap to protect the stack from dripping rain and uninvited critters.  A cap, sometimes called a “crown,” shelters the opening while it lets smoke escape. A cap prevents wind from entering your home and helps create a good draft that feeds your fireplace or stove with oxygen. Metal chimneys usually come with caps, but if yours doesn’t have one, ask the manufacture for advice.  Caps are not appropriate for all chimneys. Ask your chimney sweep to inspect the chimney each year for damage and to advise you on whether to install a cap.

Beware chimney-sweep scams
Yes, you should have your chimney swept by a professional to remove flammable creosote that builds up inside the flue from wood smoke. (If you don’t use the stove or fireplace much, you can wait two to three years between cleanings.) But not every chimney sweep is right out of “Mary Poppins.” Door-to-door scammers prey on homeowners, dangling deliciously low prices, then pressuring owners into “repairing” expensive but fictitious problems. Protect yourself by using a chimney sweep with an established business in your town. Check a company’s track record through the Better Business Bureau and locate certified sweeps at the National Chimney Sweep Guild or the Chimney Safety Institute of America.

Have gas-burning furnaces and appliances inspected
Every year a licensed gas technician should clean out dust and debris and examine the appliance for safety, efficiency and repairs. Find a repair pro through your gas company or utility or search the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association’s site.

Spiff up the front entry
Few things say “spring” like freshening up the front entrance of your home. Try any or all of these improvements:

1. Remove the doormat and sweep and dust the entry and all the way around the door. Clean the threshold with soapy water and a rag and gently wipe down the door.
2. Take a hard look at the flower pots, furniture, plant hangers, toys, boots, shovels, brooms and tools cluttering the entrance; remove and store or throw away all but the most essential items. Wipe down porch and patio furniture.
3. Stand back from the entry and decide what simple steps will most improve its appearance. A fresh coat of paint for the front door? Installing new house numbers? Adding two tall pots to flank the entrance (in colors that match or contrast nicely with the door)? Also consider painting the porch ceiling — a traditional color is blue, for the sky — or floor.
4.  Replace the doormat with a new one. Use mats inside and outside each door. They’re not just decorative; they protect your floors from damaging grit.
5. Replace rusted or ugly exterior light fixtures. Get inspiration from this slide show: “Fix up your front entry in one weekend.”
6. As soon as the weather permits and the wood has dried, repaint front steps with deck paint or other surfacing made for heavy traffic. Ask paint store professionals for recommendations. Take care to choose a color for the steps that works well with the house color and front door.
7. Wipe down railings; sand, prime and repaint flaked, chipped or bubbled paint.
8. Add another note of color by planting spring annuals in pots at the door, at the top of the steps or marching down the steps.

Check the fence line, cowboy
Take a tour of your back forty to see how the fence is holding up. Wiggle supporting posts to make sure they’re solidly in the ground. Use a mallet to drive them in deeper if necessary. Look for holes made by animals burrowing under the fence. You can fill these holes with big stones or install a wire mesh barrier as deep as necessary, then fill the hole with dirt. Repair or replace broken fence posts, and sand down potentially dangerous splinters. Check wood fences for rot (soft, spongy or crumbling wood) and insect damage, holes, sawdust and weakness in boards. Repaint or restain every couple of years or when you find chips and flakes in the paint. Use a durable product intended for use on fences. Ask paint store experts for recommendations.

Rake up
Take a leaf rake and a big tarp with you as you circle the house, gathering leaves, wind-blown debris and tree branches onto the tarp. When the tarp has a pile of leaves a couple of feet high, gather the corners and empty the contents into a yard-waste bin or a compost pile. With a broom, sweep off paths, sidewalks, steps and flagstones with an eye to removing obstacles on which people could trip.

Clean stains from concrete
For patios and sidewalks stained by fallen leaves and dirt, rent a pressure washer and clean the concrete. Auto oil stains on the garage floor or driveway are tougher to remove and call for some imagination. Fresh oil is easiest to get up. Tackle it as quickly as possible, soaking up the liquid with paper towels and sprinkling cat litter on the stain, crushing the litter in with your shoe, then sweeping it up. (Call your garbage company or city waste department to ask where to take oil-soaked rags, paper and litter. Don’t put them in the garbage can.)

Next, scrub the stain with soap, warm water and a nylon (not wire) scrub brush. This may do the trick, although you might need to scrub, rinse, check your progress and scrub again several times.

For really stubborn stains, get creative. You’ve heard that there are a million crazy ways to use Coca-Cola (see “20 Crazy Uses for Coke,” for example, at Gomestic). James and Morris Carey, at OnTheHouse.com, have one more cola trick: They soak stained concrete with cola, brushing it in with a stiff broom while the pop fizzes, keeping the concrete wet. Flood the stain with clean water once the fizzing stops, then bleach the area with this mixture: one cup of liquid chlorine bleach, one cup of powdered laundry soap and a gallon of really hot water. Rinse.

Concrete consists primarily of cement, sand, gravel and water. As the water in the slurry evaporates, the remaining ingredients cure into a hard, monolithic slab. Unfortunately, the curing process causes the concrete to shrink slightly, often resulting in hairline cracks. Larger stress cracks occur when a house settles or the ground beneath it shifts. These types of cracks typically don’t threaten the structural integrity of the house, but they do create an entry point for groundwater, insects and radon gas. (Bing: How can you tell if a foundation crack is serious?)

Here, we’ll show you a simple, effective way to patch cracks in poured-concrete walls.

If you notice large, recurring cracks or bulging walls at your house, don’t try to fix them yourself. The cracks might indicate a more serious structural problem; call in a structural engineer for an in-depth evaluation.

Repairing the crack
Several masonry-patching products, such as hydraulic cement, do an adequate job of filling cracks in concrete walls. However, these products can fail after a few years if your foundation or retaining wall continues to move slightly, leaving you with little choice but to chip them out and start all over again.

It’s time to see what winter’s wind, rain and snow have done to your home and make fixes quickly to head off water-related damage. First, head outside.

Outside
Spiff up the front entry. One way to stay on top of your home’s maintenance and protect your investment is to look at it as though you’re a stranger considering it for purchase. Perform repairs as the need arises and try each year to add a little to the home’s attractiveness on the outside. One good way to boost curb appeal, as real-estate agents call it, is to make the entrance more appealing. Once the weather is dry, check steps, decks and porches for wood rot and peeling paint. Repaint porch steps and railings yearly with durable deck paint. Wash winter grime and dust off the front door and door frame. Repaint or stain the front door to protect wood doors and give the whole home a little face lift. Consider using a fun accent color such as barn red, black, hunter green, navy blue or gold, depending on the other colors on your home’s exterior. You may want to add built-in planters to a deck or front porch and change the plants with the season.

Check for roof dams. Now that the worst of the weather is behind us, pull a ladder up to the roof to check the valleys and remove accumulations of sticks, leaves, tree needles and other storm debris. Similar to the dangers posed by melting snow on a roof, dammed-up debris can let moisture penetrate the roofing and reach into structural timbers and walls, causing rot and mold. Also, check the flashings, or metal seals, around roof joints, chimneys, skylights and other structures that penetrate a roof for holes or rust. Make repairs or call a professional.

Check for water under the house. While spring rains are still falling, or shortly after, get beneath the house to see if there’s any accumulated water. It should be dry there, even when it’s raining outside. If not, first eliminate the possibility of leaks from inside the house by checking the underside of the floor for dripping water or water stains. Track down any plumbing leaks and repair them or call a plumber. If an inside leak is not to blame, look next for seepage from outside the house. Check where the foundation meets the ground for spots where the earth slopes toward the house. Even dirt mounded around shrubs should be corrected by replanting. Fix any sloping earth so that it directs water away from the house. If you live at the bottom of a hill, that may mean calling a drainage expert to diagnose problems or help devise solutions. Keep up preventive maintenance by trimming trees and shrubs to keep them from touching the house and channeling water down the walls; remove ladders, wheelbarrows and other equipment stacked against the outside of your home. Install extensions on gutter downspouts to keep water far from the structure.

Book a home inspector. The only time most folks meet a home inspector is during the sale of their home. But by then, you’re learning about troubles too late. To stay on top of your home’s maintenance and head off expensive repairs, hire a home inspector to scrutinize your home from top to bottom. Cost: about $300. (Read “4 tips for finding the best home inspector.”) Tag along on the inspection so you can see any problems for yourself and learn about your home by asking questions. The inspection will give you either peace of mind that everything’s in good shape or a list of chores to be done. Ask the inspector to help you prioritize the repairs.

Indoors
Now move indoors to complete your moisture-detective tour and perform some other TLC.

Banish household smells

• Clean the garbage disposal. It’s good to get in the habit of doing this monthly. Pour a cup of vinegar into an ice cube tray, fill up the rest of the tray with water and stick it in the freezer. When the solution has frozen, pop out the vinegar ice cubes and place them in the disposal. Turn it on and let the ice cubes scrub the disposal as they are ground up. The vinegar will remove accumulated grease and eliminate odors coming from the disposal. Clean all drains, including the disposal, two or three times a year by pouring in equal parts salt, baking soda and vinegar, followed about 30 seconds later by two quarts of boiling water. Give the mixture a chance to work overnight to clear clogged drains. (Learn more: “Drains 101: Skip the plumber and tackle these tasks yourself.”)
• Clean or replace garbage cans and pails. Check garbage containers inside and out for cracks and breakage. Replace cracked or broken outdoor cans and use bungee cords to keep lids closed tightly. Take the kitchen garbage pail outside, sprinkle in a half-cup of baking soda and fill the can with hot water. Let sit for an hour, then dump out the water and use spray cleanser to wipe down the can inside and out. Dry it thoroughly before putting it back in the kitchen and inserting an empty garbage bag. Clean the refrigerator by removing everything and washing down the inside with hot water and baking soda.
• Eliminate bathroom and kitchen smells. Trapped moisture encourages smelly mildew, mold and rot, which can create odors in the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms. Thoroughly inspect each of these rooms for cracks and breakage in grout and caulking that let water seep behind tile and flooring. (See the August home-maintenance checklist to learn how to replace cracked or chipped tile grout and read “How to caulk your bathtub neatly.”) Check appliances for plumbing leaks by looking for moisture under or around sinks, tubs, washer, dryer, shower and toilets. Check for toilet leaks: Add a few drops of food coloring into the tank (not the bowl) of a toilet. Don’t flush. Come back in an hour to see if any of the color has reached the toilet bowl. If it has, you probably need to replace the flapper ($2-$5 at hardware stores) in the tank. If water is collecting around the base of the toilet, the seal – the wax gasket between the toilet and floor – may have failed and need to be replaced.  (To diagnose more toilet troubles, read “Troubleshoot your toilet without a plumber.”)

Install two simple water-saving devices:

• Toilet-tank displacers. If you’ve been meaning to try some of those water-saving tricks you’ve read about, here’s an easy one to start with: Older toilet tanks hold a lot more water than they need for flushing. Cut water usage by displacing some of this tank water. The Alliance for Water Efficiency cautions that this is a good idea only for toilets with a rated flush volume of 3.5 gallons or more. (Look for information about your toilet’s rated flush volume on a label behind the seat hinge or stamped into the porcelain of the back of the tank. If you can’t find it, ask your water utility to help while conducting a no-charge home audit of your water usage. Or contact the toilet’s manufacturer for help identifying your model’s specifications.) Here’s how to displace water in the tank: Fill a clean, half-gallon plastic milk bottle with water and add some small stones to help weight it down, then lower the bottle into the tank, being careful to avoid the working parts. Or, purchase and install a Toilet FlushLess water displacement bladder bag ($3.99 at Amazon.com). But whatever you do, don’t – as some advise – put bricks in the toilet tank. They’ll crumble and the sediment can wreck a toilet.
• Aerators. Kitchen and bathroom faucets consume a great deal of water. Trim your home’s water usage by installing aerators in the faucet heads. Some shower heads accept aerators, too. Aerators mix air into the water to maintain good water pressure while reducing the amount of water flowing through the faucet. They cost $2 to $3 at a hardware store. Some water utilities give them free to customers. To install, screw the aerators onto the faucet tip. If you already have aerators on your faucets, remember to remove them annually to clean off any mineral deposits that can clog the screw-on screen and interfere with your water flow. Just toss and replace badly clogged aerators.

Inspect and repair drywall.  Once a year, walk around the interior of your home with a spatula and container of lightweight putty (ask at the hardware store for help choosing products). Inspect the walls for dings, nail holes and gouges. Use the spatula to smooth putty into holes and scrape the repaired spot even with the wall. Return the next day and touch the putty to see if it has dried. Once dry, gently rub it with fine-grained sandpaper so the patch will be smooth and even with the wall. Gently retouch the spot with primer, then with paint. If a repainted area shows up when dry, you may have to repaint the entire wall. (For bigger problems, read “How to fix a hole in the wall.”)

Don’t let winter slip away without using the cold, wet weather to help you detect where your home is leaking water and heat, giving you a chance to seal it up tight and develop a wish list for energy-saving improvements. Your first order of business inside your home is to make sure no water is getting in.

Carefully check every spot where condensation or water could enter your living areas and storage spaces. Take along a pad of paper and a pencil and take detailed notes as you scrutinize ceilings, under the roof, under the eaves and along window and door frames and ventilation seals. Be particularly careful to check under toilets, sinks, tubs and showers. Use a flashlight to check the crawl space or basement walls and floors and the underside of the first-story floor. You’re looking for visible moisture and for stains caused by moisture. When you find something, the remedy will depend on the source of the leak. You may just need to recaulk around a tub or window, or you may need to call a plumber to replace a leaking fixture

Here are some other tasks to tackle inside your home this month:

Change the shower curtain. While you’re checking for leaks in the bathroom, see if the shower curtain needs replacing. Damp shower curtains can grow unhealthy mold and mildew and contribute to mold problems in the tub and shower, so swap yours out periodically and make sure to open and air out the shower enclosure when you’re done bathing.

Batten down the hatches. Find and seal energy leaks. Grab a pad and pencil to note any spots that you can’t address right away. Arm yourself with a tube of caulk to fill small cracks and a spray can of insulating foam sealer for larger gaps. Tour your home feeling for cold air entering through cracks in chimneys and window and door frames, and cracks around appliance vents, electrical and plumbing fixtures and furnace ducts. Remedies might include adding weatherstripping to a door frame or applying fresh caulk to window frames.

Bing: Search & decide Spring home-maintenance tips   Identify toxic mold   Check for water leaks in your home

Run the numbers. Get an idea of how much energy a home the size of yours typically uses by entering detailed information about your dwelling into the Home Energy Saver tool. The tool lets you calculate your home’s energy use. It also lets you estimate the energy savings from a variety of improvements, such as adding insulation, replacing windows and purchasing high-efficiency appliances. Experts from the Energy Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and other state and federal agencies collaborate in sponsoring the site.

Conduct a home energy audit. If you’ve sealed the obvious leaks and your home is still inefficient, you’ll get more detailed information from a professional energy audit. The auditor can recommend energy-saving improvements and point out those that will most improve efficiency. Learn more about energy audits and how to find a professional auditor at the Energy Department’s Energy Savers site. Auditors use a blower door test, a thermographic scan and, occasionally, a perfluorocarbon tracer gas air-infiltration measurement technique to learn how weather-tight your home is. Tips: Check a contractor’s references thoroughly and check for complaints at the Better Business Bureau and your state attorney general’s consumer protection office (find your attorney general through the National Association of Attorneys General). The Energy Department advises finding a contractor who uses a calibrated blower door and who does thermographic inspections. Expect to pay roughly $300 to $500. In some cities, utility companies or government agencies do the work or help with the fees. For example, in Austin, Texas, the city utility performs and subsidizes audits so homeowners pay only $50 or $150, depending on the type of audit. Austin screens and recommends contractors, too.

Get a fire extinguisher. Better yet, get several. Buy fire extinguishers for each type of fire you might encounter at home and place them where you’ll need them. For example, use the A-B-C class for living areas and in workshops and garages. For the kitchen, get a specialized extinguisher capable of putting out class B (grease) and C (electrical) fires. For living and sleeping areas and fireplaces, get a multipurpose A-B-C that also works on fires consuming wood, cloth, trash and paper. (Read “9 tips to be prepared and stay safe in home emergencies.”) Inspect extinguishers regularly to ensure the gauges read 100%. The city of Renton, Wash., explains how to purchase, use and service and where to place residential fire extinguishers.

Outside
February is a transitional month in much of the U.S. Winter storms may continue to cause damage to home exteriors and landscaping, but spring is in sight and you can begin working in the garden to prepare for warmer weather.

Check for storm damage. While you’re outside, walk around the house looking for missing or damaged siding and shingles. Remove fallen branches and storm debris from around the house.

Mulch garden beds. By the end of the month, the ground has thawed in many parts of the country and it’s time to start warding off weeds. If you didn’t mulch in early winter, now is the time to add a layer to discourage weeds.

Prune ornamental grasses. Clean up pampas grass and other ornamental grasses by cutting them in early spring, before new green shoots get tall. Cut the old grass about 2 to 4 inches above the new green shoots. Wear gloves and use a chain saw on big, unwieldy pampas grasses. Tackle others with pruning shears or hedge clippers. Cut straight across the top of the clump and rake away the dead stalks to clean up the plant.

Try corn gluten meal on weedy garden paths. Corn gluten meal, a yellow powder or pellet, is used in livestock feed but it also is an organic “pre-emergent” weed control. You’ll find it in garden supply or agricultural supply stores. Spread it on garden paths (find inspiration for garden paths from this slide show on 16 beautiful garden paths) or beds where you do not want seeds to take root. Read label directions for correct application. Corn gluten meal stops seeds from forming roots when they are germinating. It also contains nitrogen that feeds the established plants in your garden. Apply it early in the season: If you wait until weeds have sprouted, it will be ineffective. Avoid using it on beds where you have seeded ornamentals or where you are counting on plants to self-seed from last year. Learn more at Iowa State University’s Department of Horticulture Corn Gluten Meal Research Page.

The dead of winter is the time for the greatest vigilance in your home-maintenance routine. The most important job this month is to head off damage to your home from water and dampness from a number of sources:

• Groundwater and rain seeping into your home.

• Leaky pipes inside the walls.

• Pipes bursting from freezing and thawing.

Take a tour
After a winter storm, get outside as soon as you can. Walk around the house, checking for damage from wind and broken tree limbs. User binoculars if you can’t see your entire roof. Scan for loose or missing shingles. (Bing: Get roof-repair tips)

Read:  10 great winter home projects

Give special attention to vulnerable pipes — indoors and out — that are exposed to the cold, including hose bibs, pipes in outside walls, garden sprinkler lines, swimming pool pipes and pipes in unheated attics, basements and garages. A frozen pipe needs only a one-eighth-inch crack to leak as much as 250 gallons a day, according to this State Farm Insurance video, which demonstrates how to shut off your water and insulate pipes.

Take these steps to safeguard against damage from frozen and bursting pipes:

1. If practical, insulate any pipes exposed to the cold. Ask hardware-store personnel for the best materials for the job.
2. Seal any leaks that are letting cold air in, especially around dryer vents and pipes and where electrical wiring enters the house.
3. Search for uninsulated water supply lines in the attic, garage, basement and crawl spaces and in bathroom and kitchen cabinets adjacent to outside walls. During a cold spell, open cupboard doors in the kitchen and bathroom so the home’s heat can reach them. (Reminder: Put harmful household cleaners out of the reach of children.) Keep doors shut tight in the garage and outside closets and cupboards during freezing weather.
4. When temperatures drop below zero, open both hot and cold faucets a trickle to relieve pressure in the pipes.
5. Locate your home’s water shut-off valve; learn how to turn off the water quickly in case a pipe bursts.
6. If you’ll be gone in freezing weather, even overnight, ask a friend or neighbor to check on your house for broken or leaking pipes. Show him or her how to shut off the water.
7. Keep temperatures inside the house at 55 degrees Fahrenheit or above, night and day, even when you’re gone.
8. Promise yourself that when the weather improves you will add to the installation in the basement or crawl space and attic.

Leak prevention

• Install small, battery-powered individual leak alarms, also called flood alarms, under the refrigerator, kitchen and bathroom drain pipes, dishwasher and laundry appliances and behind toilets. Cost: around $10-$15 each.
• Check to make sure your sump pump is operating properly. If it has a battery backup, unplug the pump from the wall and test it.

Look for pests seeking shelter
Cold weather drives mice and insects into the walls of your home. Even unheated parts of the house invite these pests. Insects need only a crack to enter, and mice can get in through a dime-sized hole. Houseflies, particularly, pose a health risk because they can transmit disease.

• Seal any cracks where pests enter.
• Empty compost and garbage frequently.
• Keep food covered and put away; keep counters clean.
• Fix leaky pipes quickly.
• Pour boiling water down bathroom and kitchen drains monthly, preventing the buildup of bacteria-laden sludge; scrub removable drain covers weekly.
• Check basement, attic, crawl spaces and the back of cupboards and cabinets for mice droppings or holes. If you find evidence, install traps immediately or call a pest-control service.
• Pick up and dispose of outdoor pet waste promptly; turn compost piles frequently.

Make an inventory
While you are putting away holiday gifts, seize the opportunity to make a quick home inventory.

An inventory is a record of your home’s features, conditions, furnishings and valuable possessions. If your home is damaged or destroyed by fire, flood, mudslide or other disaster, you can use the inventory to substantiate your insurance claim to get the maximum replacement value for what was lost.

Tips:

• Save receipts for valuable home purchases and for work you have done to upgrade the interior or exterior of your home.
• Keep a copy of your inventory in a bank safe-deposit box or on a hosted server online, so you can get it even if your computer is destroyed.

Also …
Here are a few more winter tasks:

1. Check the labels on the switches in your electrical circuit-breaker panel and make new labels if necessary.
2. Check your furnace filter monthly in the winter to see if it needs replacing.
3. Use a vacuum-cleaner tool or a long-handled brush to clean under and behind the refrigerator, including the coils.
4. Clean lint from under laundry appliances, especially the dryer, carefully work the cleaning tool down into the lint filter; outdoors, clean the dryer vent outlet, reaching as far as possible into the pipe.
5. Gather product documents and warranties into a folder. Go through the contents and discard outdated materials.
6. Walk around inside the house with a screwdriver, pencil and paper. Tighten any loose knobs and attachments and list repairs to tackle later.
7. Examine the ducts of your forced-air furnace and seal any leaks with duct tape.