February Home Maintenance Tips

Even though there can be a few beautiful spring like days in February, this month is well-known for having pretty brutal winter weather, so we are still focusing on interior maintenance.

Clean Your Sump Pump

• Uncover your sump pump pit and remove any debris that is in there. This is a good time to do that because it will likely be dry this time of year. It is not uncommon to find things in the pit that were left there during construction.
• Once you have the pit clean, test the pump by pouring water in the pit to make sure it evacuates the water properly.
• If you don’t have a cover for your sump pump pit, you might consider picking one up at your favorite home improvement store. A good cover will prevent things from accidently finding their way into the pit.

Laundry Room Makeover

• Doing laundry can be less of a chore if your laundry room is a more pleasant place to work. Start by removing everything from the room and do a deep clean.
• Repair or replace any cabinets, drawers, and storage devices that don’t work properly.
• Look online for storage ideas that will help get things off the floor. This will increase the size of the room.
• Give the room a fresh coat of paint. Colors can turn a drab room into a cheerful one. I found some great ideas on this website; The Spruce: 23 Best Laundry Room Paint Colors for a Fresh Space.
• Put things back in the room, but only things you use, dispose of the rest or store them somewhere else.

Interior Paint Touch-Ups

• Start by cleaning walls and trim using a Magic Eraser or a cleaning solution. I found this website to be helpful; Good Housekeeping: How to Clean Walls
• For areas where cleaning didn’t remove marks and smudges, consider repainting. Using modern colors to freshen up a room can make a world of difference.
• If painting is not one of your skills, consider using a pro. Good paint won’t help amateur work. Painters usually get busy in the Spring, so now is a great time to hire one as they are looking for work.
• While you are cleaning walls, this could be a great time to vacuum those curtains/drapes, and window coverings.  
  
  

Caulking and Grout

• Even though the tube of caulking might claim to last for decades, it is common to need to replace caulking every two or three years. Take a close look at the caulking in your kitchen and bathrooms looking for cracked, loose, or missing caulking.
• Thoroughly remove any caulking that is failing and replace with a high quality caulk.
• Clean your grout to remove stains, dirt, and grime. This website was helpful for me; The Spruce: How to Clean Grout
• While you are working in the shower/tub area, now is a good time to clean or replace your shower curtains.

Look Forward to Spring

• This list of home maintenance tasks will keep you busy indoors all month, but the good thing is that February will go by quickly and Spring will arrive before you know it!
• If you have any thoughts of making a move this year and are curious about how much equity you currently have in your home, I can help with that! For a no obligation market valuation, contact me via text, email, or phone and I will get started.

Norwalk IA Real Estate – Jon Niemeyer, Broker Associate/REALTOR® at EXIT Realty and Associates. I list and sell real estate in Central Iowa including Norwalk, Des Moines, West Des Moines, Cumming, Indianola, Carlisle, Waukee, Urbandale, Grimes, Clive, Johnston, Ankeny, Altoona, and Pleasant Hill in the Counties of Warren, Polk, Dallas, and Madison. Call Jon Niemeyer at 515-490-4675.