Comments on: Save Time, Effort, And Money With A Monthly Home and Auto Maintenance Checklist

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:21:56 +0000

Lenore – I hear ya on the house keeper.

As we get rid of more stuff we don’t need it is getting easier to clean at our place. We have a small house so this might be feasible – if we had a “normal” sized house with 3+ bedrooms, basement, etc then I’d have a stroke trying to accomplish his.

The roomba is great however, if you have kids then any toys & such that get under there will block/deflect the roomba. Hopefully that can be a feature included in newer models (toy herding feature?) since I’ve noticed they keep getting better & better with every model.
In the mean time I’ve cut a piece of scrap baseboard the length of my couch & nailed it to the legs ( under the skirt thingy on the front & both sides) – dog hair, stray post-it notes & dust still get under there but not a whole lot else. Oh, & the cats go behind the couch (by passing the baseboard I nailed on) to hide underneath it from the kids & dogs :)

By: Lenore

Lenore — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:31:18 +0000

There is mold growing in the crack of the door of my refrigerator, I have at least 7 loads of laundry to do, and there are piles of STUFF all over the place. Still, I’m further along than I was a week ago. Just thought a confession might strengthen my resolve to get caught up. Wish I could afford and trust a housekeeper.

By: TomK

TomK — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:45:40 +0000

Great list! Here is a source that can help you keep track of doing many of these things. Lets you know exactly when you did it last and when it’s due again. http://www.myhomechannel.org

By: Mark Hagan

Mark Hagan — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:35:43 +0000

Almost daily wipe phone down with antiseptic(listerine,lysol etc.)or plain rubbing alcohol to kill nasty little illness causing germs!

By: JenK

JenK — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:22:47 +0000

Ron Malinowski – I read that to be the maximum recommended tire pressure, not maximum.

Re: cleaning under furniture, consider a Roomba! Our king-size bed is too low for a normal vacuum, so I’d only vacuum underneath once or twice a year while flipping the mattress.

The Roomba slides under with no problem. And, gee, I don’t need as much asthma meds!

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:08:47 +0000

The easiest thing to do with the most impact on cost including energy bill and repairs to the furnace is to regularly clean and change your furnace filters. This also keeps your sinus' and lungs happy all year long.

By: Ron Malinowski

Ron Malinowski — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 16:06:16 +0000

You should not inflate your tires to the maximum pressure… that is very dangerous…

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:36:52 +0000

There seems to be two schools of thought within these comments, school one agrees with the article, spend time now but not as much money long term versus school two spend money, at a later time, but save time now. It ultimately comes down to personal choice.

By: lori

lori — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 17:01:03 +0000

My parents did very little maintenance on their home over the last 20 years. They both worked, raised 4 kids, transported us to all of our various after school and summer activities, etc. In short, maintenance fell by the way side and boy are the paying for it now. The house and yard are both in bad shape. While it may not be feasible to do all of these things every month, it is a great idea to get into the habit of some kind of schedule. I personally do not think the list is that bad since many of the items can be checked off without a lot of time or effort. Let’s be honest – one less Sunday afternoon in front of the TV to do home maintenance isn’t going to hurt anyone. Homes are investments, and like any investment they require some tweaking now and again.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:06:56 +0000

I completely disagree on Sam Knox’s comment. I build performance engines as a hobby, taking out and checking your air filter will not cause any problems, but every month is excessive, every 3 months should be more than fine unless you live in a particularly dusty or sandy climate. An automobile engine is nothing more than a huge air pump, the better the air flows the better off you are.

By: Paige

Paige — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:25:45 +0000

i love this list
i love this site
my motto: “take what
you like, and leave
the rest”

By: Ashia

Ashia — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:10:06 +0000

I love this list and I love that you have time to do your computer work and blog work, save money and plan for the future As Well As keep a clean house. It must be because of your tricky sleep schedule because neither my husband nor I feel like we could accomplish all of that every month! What an inspiration. (and hey, when there is a new little baby in tow, there will be all sorts of new things for the list: like cleaning toys, sterilizing bottles, diaper pails etc, cleaning the carseat and high chair etc. whew! thank you

By: Rey

Rey — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:00:31 +0000

Shampoo the carpet every few months? All you will be left with is a whole bunch of shampoo residue. Better to get a steam cleaner, that agitates the fibers and then sucks out the water and detergent.

By: Sam Knox

Sam Knox — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:31:41 +0000

I have to disagree with one item on your list: “Check, clean, and perhaps replace the air filter on all automobiles.” I did maintenance on Class 8 trucks for thirty years, and the only time I opened the air filter housing was to replace the old filter with a new one. Every time you open the housing, a small amount of airborne dust enters the engine, so you should open it as seldom as possible. Attempting to clean the air filter is especially risky because of potential, and for all practical purposes invisible, damage to the filter. (It’s important to keep in mind what small quantities we’re talking about. Less than an ounce of dust will bring a 900 cubic inch diesel engine to a dead stop from lack of compression.) If you want to maximize the life of your air filter you can mount a vacuum gauge on the air intake. Otherwise, follow the recommended change intervals in your owner’s manual.

By: plus6

plus6 — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 02:30:50 +0000

Just to address a topic you stated you did not cover, but should be done seasonally: “waterproofing your deck”. I put on a pressure treated wood deck about four years ago and did not waterproof it correctly at regular intervals. It was the biggest mistake I made. The deck looks extremely worn and dated. If I had to do it over again I would go for the composite decking materials as they have come along way with appearance and are much more comfortable to walk on. The price difference is significant but the long term wear and tear is much less.

By: Rikki

Rikki — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:06:39 +0000

Too much work for one month. Most of these chores can be done once a season and be fine … like the lawnmower blades. The only reason for keeping this list as a monthly checklist is if you have some kind of short-term memory disorder and can’t remember the last time you did something. I like a tidy house too, but sometimes it’s just more fun to smell the roses. It’s a good list … to be run through every six months or so.

By: Pam

Pam — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:50:34 +0000

I disagree on the timing of the monthly maintenance. Some items such as cleaning/changing furnace should be done monthly in the winter.

Many of the other items such as inspecting the foundation, smoke detectors, insect problems, testing GFCI’s, etc can be done on a semi annual basis, such as spring and fall.

Enjoy your new home but don’t wear yourself out!

By: Franke

Franke — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 15:05:40 +0000

I have to disagree with filling up your tires to the recommended maximum. I have found that filling them to about 90% of the recommended maximum helps the tires wear more evenly.

The other small item I would add would be to take heavy items out of your trunk, since this can lower your gas milage.

By: Lisak

Lisak — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 14:49:58 +0000

Did your mother work outside the home full time? I’d love to do all that every month, but there is no way I have the time. My house is usually pretty neat and gets a good dust/vacuum/clean each weekend, so I am always in a position for company to drop by. I can’t imagine being able to do all that is on that list once a month.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 02:35:55 +0000

great list. I also found this
http://www.demesne.info/Home-Maintenance/

Jeff