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Smart spring cleaning can prevent expensive repairs later

• Smart spring cleaning is about small home maintenance tasks that can save hundreds of dollars a year and take as little as 1060 minutes each.

• Jobs like replacing HVAC filters, cleaning dryer vents, sealing drafty gaps, and flushing your water heater can lower energy waste and help avoid bigger repair bills.

• Other easy money-saving tasks, like cleaning fridge coils, clearing debris around your AC unit, and replacing cracked caulk, can help appliances run better and prevent costly fixes.

For many homeowners, spring cleaning means decluttering closets, scrubbing floors, and maybe finally dealing with the garage. Thats fine. However,the smartest spring cleaning jobs are the ones that can actually save you money.

Keep in mind that some of the most expensive home repairs start with tiny maintenance tasks people keep putting off. A dirty HVAC filter. A clogged dryer vent. Small gaps around doors and windows. A water heater quietly filling with sediment. None of it feels urgent until it suddenly is.

Heres the spring cleaning checklist that actually matters.

Note: If youre unsure about doing any of these jobs, make YouTube your new best friend. Youll be amazed atthe amount of extremely helpful DIY videos at your disposal for each of these home maintenance jobs.

Replace your HVAC filter before summer hits

This is one of those tiny jobs that gets ignored way too often.

ENERGY STAR says to check your HVAC filter every month during heavy-use seasons and change it at least every three months. A dirty filter slows airflow, forces the system to work harder, wastes energy, and can contribute to expensive maintenance or even early system failure.

Thats a pretty good return for a filter that might cost you $10 to $30. Spring is the perfect time to do it because your air conditioner is about to start working harder.

Actionable tip: Write the replacement month directly on the filter with a marker before installing it. This will help you remember the next time it needs to be replaced.

Pro tip: Its smart to buy multiple filters at once when they go on sale. Homeowners are much more likely to change them on time when the replacement is already sitting in the garage or hallway closet.

Clean your dryer vent line, not just the lint trap

A lot of people think cleaning the lint screen is enough. Its not.

The U.S. Fire Administration says failure to clean was the leading factor in the ignition of home clothes dryer fires from 2018 to 2020, accounting for 31% of incidents. The agency specifically warns that you are at a higher risk of a dryer fire if you dont clean your lint filter and dryer vents.

A clogged vent makes the dryer run longer, which wastes energy and adds wear to the machine.

Actionable tip: Unplug the dryer first, then carefully pull it out, vacuum behind it, and clean the inside of the vent hose if you can safely access it. If the vent run is long or hard to reach, it may be worth hiring this out.

Pro tip: If a load that used to dry in 45 minutes now takes 70, stop treating that like a minor annoyance. It often means your vent needs some attention.

Caulk and weatherstrip the little air leaks

This is not the sexiest spring project, but it may be one of the best money-savers.

The Department of Energy says caulking and weatherstripping are simple, effective air-sealing techniques that often deliver payback in one year or less.

It also says air leakage can account for 30% or more of a homes heating and cooling costs. Weatherstripping reduces heating and cooling costs around movable parts like doors and operable windows, while caulk is used for stationary cracks and gaps.

That is a pretty compelling reason to stop ignoring that drafty back door.

Actionable tip: Walk your house and check around exterior doors, windows, utility closets, and baseboards near drafty areas. If something wiggles, rattles, or lets in light, it needs attention.

Pro tip: Start with the obvious trouble spots, not the whole house. A $12 tube of caulk used in the right places beats a giant unfocused weekend project you never finish.

Flush your water heater before sediment builds up

Water heaters are easy to forget because they mostly sit there and do their job quietly. Until they dont.

I put in a new water heater last year and vowed to flush it of sediment once a year. A quick visit to YouTube and I found this great video that walked me through the steps. It took me about 30 minutes total, and was fairly easy. I used a permanent marker and wrote the date I did the flush right on the unit so I knew when to do it again.

For many homeowners, spring is a good reminder to at least do a partial flush or schedule service if theyre not comfortable doing it themselves.

Pro tip: If your water heater is older and youve never flushed it, read the manufacturer's guidance first or have a plumber handle it. On neglected units, aggressive DIY flushing can actually cause it to start leaking.

Clean your refrigerator coils

This one gets skipped all the time because people either forget about it or have no idea fridge coils even exist.

Dusty condenser coils can make a refrigerator work harder than it should, and anything that makes a major appliance run harder usually means more wear and energy use over time. Spring is a great time to roll out the fridge and clean them because youre already in maintenance mode, and it only takes a few minutes.

Usually, this means unplugging the fridge, locating the coils either behind or underneath the unit, and using a vacuum attachment to remove the dust buildup.

Actionable tip: If you have pets, move this small job up higher on your list. Pet hair builds up fast and can make this job much more important.

Pro tip: Take a quick photo before you start so you know how everything looked originally, especially if you have to remove a front grille to access the coils.

Clear debris around your outdoor A/C unit

Your air conditioners outdoor condenser needs some breathing room. If it is surrounded by leaves, weeds, cottonwood fluff, or overgrown plants, your airflow will suffer.

Spring is the obvious time to clear the area before peak cooling season begins. You do not need to turn this into a full HVAC tune-up, but some basic cleanup can help the unit run more efficiently.

I just did this recently at my house as I had a rosemary plant that decided to take over the entire area and was growing up the sides of my condenser. It was just a matter of weeks before the plant would have covered the top of the condenser and caused a serious airflow issue.

Pro tip: Dont blast those delicate thin metal slats too hard with water pressure. They bend quite easily, and a light cleaning goes a long way.

Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks before damage starts

Sometimes the cheapest home-maintenance job is simply preventing water from sneaking into the wrong places.

Things like cracked or missing caulk around tubs, showers, and sinks can let moisture seep behind surfaces, which quickly turns into mold, rot, or wall damage.

This is a very inexpensive fix compared to what happens if you choose to ignore it.

Actionable tip: Look for cracked, peeling, or moldy caulk lines in bathrooms and kitchens. If it looks kinda rough, just replace it.

Pro tip: Do the guest bathroom too, not just the bathroom you use every day. Leaks dont care which sink gets more traffic.