**7 Home Maintenance Tips for Spring in the NW**

1. Clean gutters

Gutters are an extremely important part of your roof and protect your house and foundation from the rain. If they are clogged, they cannot do their job. This can cause serious roofing, siding and foundation issues. If you clean them yourself, be careful! Make sure you have someone to spot you on the ladder.

2. Roof Inspection

Do a visual inspection of skylights, vents, and roofing material. Shingles that are cracked, buckled or loose need to be replaced. Use binoculars to avoid climbing on the roof yourself or call a professional.

3. Check Windows and Doors

This is especially important in older homes. Do a quick walk-thru of your house to make sure the winter weather didn’t crack any windows or break any seals.

4. Inspect your Siding

Check for nails popping out, warped siding, cracked caulking, or paint chipping. If your siding is warped, this could be an indicator there is water damage.

5. Pressure Wash

Remove the dirt, mold, and stains from your deck, driveway, garage, fences, walkways, and patios that winter left there. You can rent a pressure washer from your local Home Improvement store or hire a handyman to come in and do it.

6. HVAC

Prepare for the hot weather by having a spring tune-up on your AC unit. Inspect, clean, and replace air filters. Schedule an AC tune-up with a professional. They should test refrigerant levels, inspect coils, contactor, capacitor, condenser fan motor, electrical connections, service valve, evaporator coil, blower, calibrate thermostat, and flush condensate drain. This should take about an hour.

7. Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Make sure they are all working, and replace any batteries, if needed. This is also a great time to discuss your home fire exit plan with those you live with.