Daily Deals from a Nerd Mom

No matter the kind of home you live in, you’re going to need to look after it. That usually involves a good bit of year round maintenance, as well as having a few basic DIY skills about you. And for most people, this works out just fine! They can get on with living in their home secure in the knowledge it’s not going to fall down around them.

However, for a lot of people, these maintenance checks don’t go quite far enough. Indeed, there are many areas in a home that don’t get the necessary time and attention from the people living in them! It’s these areas that are most likely to break down and stop functioning properly, and that’s something to be aware of for 2025. 

Let’s make 2024 the last year of living in a home you know nothing about! For the year ahead, make sure you’re staying on top of maintenance, cleanliness, and organization issues by putting time and effort into the upkeep of the areas down below.

Your Attic

How often do you go up into the attic? And when you do, how often do you take the time to look around and see how it’s holding up? Probably very rarely! And you’re not alone there; many people just take stuff up and down the attic ladder and don’t pay too much mind to how the space is behaving. 

But this can be a big mistake. If your attic has an issue, you need to know about it ASAP. Whether it’s water getting in and causing mold and/or rot to set into the wood, or there’s an infestation of some kind up there, or the insulation isn’t good enough and the room feels too hot or cold at opposite times of the year, a fix will be needed. Without one, your home won’t be very comfortable for much longer! 

So, next time you want to get something down from the attic or you want to have a clear out, be sure to survey the whole room as you go. 

Your Drain Pipes

Your home’s drainage can be a cruel mistress. The pipes are often buried underneath the concrete of the foundation or beneath the floorboards, and getting to them requires a bit of specialist equipment. The average homeowner doesn’t have equipment that’ll allow them to do so, which means they can only assess the pipes that are above ground and visible. 

But if you want to take care of your home in a more in depth way in 2025, work both above and below the surface. Get any hidden drainage seen to by a professional, and call out for sewer line plumbing repairs without any hesitation. 

The sooner a pipe problem is seen to and sorted, the less water damage your home will be subject to. Even the outer exterior of your property will be negatively affected by too much water, as irrigation systems don’t tend to be all that popular in residential neighborhoods either! 

Your Walls

Your interior walls will usually be just fine, so it’s your exterior walls we’re going to focus on here. Putting some time and energy into ensuring they’re holding up and looking good will ensure the structural integrity of your house AND up the curb appeal of your home. 

If a home looks nice from the outside, it’s going to be seen as that little bit more valuable when the time comes to sell. 

Above all else, be sure to watch out for damage to your exterior walls. If the siding appears to be unsticking and coming off, for example, or an exterior drainage pipe is blocked up and causing dead leaves, moss, and dirty water to collect. If these issues crop up, you’ll want to get them cleaned up and repaired within the month. 

Your Garage

It’s easy to overlook your garage, especially if you use it primarily for storage rather than parking your car. However, the garage is often home to valuable equipment and can serve as a crucial entryway to your house. Over time, the mechanisms within the garage door can wear out or rust, making it difficult—or even dangerous—to operate. Problems like squeaky hinges, malfunctioning sensors, or misaligned tracks are more than just inconveniences; they can compromise the security and energy efficiency of your home. Consider scheduling a professional garage door repair at the first sign of trouble. Doing so can prevent a minor inconvenience from escalating into a costly, time-consuming problem.

Your Appliances

How often do you take a look at how your appliances are functioning? It’s probably only when they break down, isn’t it? It’s the most common approach in the homeowner world. 

If your dishwasher isn’t washing the plates properly, and there’s a weird smell coming out of it, you immediately get in there to check how the fan is spinning and if there’s enough salt and/or detergent available. 

But if you did this before the problem occurred, it probably wouldn’t have occurred! That’s the thing about appliance upkeep; it’s best to be proactive, as it ensures you don’t run into a broken down, leaking, and faulty washing machine when you really need your clothes laundered! 

As such, double check how your appliances are working on a monthly basis. Top up the levels of the liquids they need, and be sure everything is properly plumbed and plugged in at the back too. 

Your Foundation

The foundation of your home is the one thing that really holds it up. Your walls are another, but really they’re secondary. If there’s no strong and stable foundation to work off of, your home would slip away with the first bit of strong weather and you wouldn’t be able to stop it. 

Because of this, make sure your foundation is on your maintenance checklist in 2025 as well. You don’t have to take a long time to check over the base of your property, but doing these kinds of checks could stop issues like subsidence in their tracks. 

You don’t want your foundation to start moving and then only find out later on! You need to know about this ASAP and have a chance to get the right repair person out to fix it. 

All homes need regular upkeep of some kind, but it’s these areas that miss out the most. Make sure you’re including them in your maintenance checklist for 2025. Check them at least once a quarter as the year goes on and be sure you know what you’re looking out for. The earlier you spot signs of trouble, the sooner (and more affordably!) you can get repair work carried out.