Portland’s Spring Cleaning & Home Maintenance Checklist

Compared to the rest of the continental US, Portland has experienced a particularly gray and dreary start to the spring season. The weather is finally expected to turn in the coming weeks, so if you haven’t started preparing your home for warmer weather now is the best time to start!

While some homeowners love spring cleaning, others might find it to be quite overwhelming and not know where to begin. As the longtime electricians, plumbers, and HVAC professionals of Portland, we want to help Oregonians tackle their spring cleaning tasks with ease. We’ve created this April home maintenance checklist to make sprucing up your home even easier this year.

1. Buy High-Efficiency Filters For Fire Season –
   
   1. Oregon’s fire season begins in May and can last until rainy weather returns in September. This year’s snowfall totals were extraordinarily high, with all counties falling well above 100% normal levels. While this will be beneficial for the spring bloom, it’s difficult to predict how dry the summer will be.
   2. As a homeowner, you should invest in a high-quality air filter to protect yourself from wildfire smoke. These high-efficiency filters should be between a MERV 6 and MERV 12 at the very least. Anything above a MERV 13 adds significantly higher protection for your home.
   3. In addition to protecting your home from wildfire smoke, you’ll also create a safe haven from allergens that emit from trees, flowers, and other pollen-producing flora.
2. Prepare Your Home For Mosquitos –
   1. With temperatures slowly rising and snow melt leading to excess water across Portland, it won’t be long until Mosquitos start swarming across the metro area. To protect yourself and your home, take note of areas around your yard that could collect water. If possible, level out those areas to naturally prevent the prevalence of mosquitos.
   2. Ensure your home’s windows and doors are securely screened to prevent these pests from entering your home.
   3. Keep weeds, grass, and other plants around your property properly trimmed and maintained.
3. Schedule A Plumbing Inspection –
   1. If you live in an older home or have recently moved into a new home, then a plumbing inspection should be at the top of your home maintenance checklist. With parts of the state experiencing snowfall amounts nearly triple what is normally expected, flooding is something that Portland residents should be prepared for this spring.
   2. Making sure your drains, gutters, and pipes are prepared to handle excess water is always a good idea. If you have a sump pump in your home, it’s better to have this equipment inspected in advance rather than discover a problem with it when your basement becomes flooded.
4. Prepare Your HVAC Equipment –
   1. Spending tons of time indoors over the winter months means you’ve likely accumulated more dust, pet hair, and other debris than you might expect during the summer. Before you turn on your air conditioning system, it’s best to thoroughly dust, vacuum, and clean off dusty surfaces to reduce the amount of stress you will be putting on this appliance.
   2. If you notice your air conditioning system isn’t cooling your home properly when you first turn it on, then it’s important to contact a professional heating and cooling company as soon as possible.

Are you ready to schedule AC maintenance with Roth Home? Contact us to secure your cooling system maintenance appointment now.