Spring Cleaning and Maintenance Tips to Refresh and Increase the Value of Your Home.

Updated March 2024

As the seasons shift and temperatures rise, it's time to roll up your sleeves and dive into Spring Cleaning and maintenance for your home. Making this an annual tradition helps ensure your living spaces remain tidy, organized, and functional. From decluttering to deep cleaning and even a little redecorating Spring Cleaning can really refresh your home and set the stage for blissful and enjoyable living environment throughout the year.

Here are a few things to check off your list this spring to help refresh and renew your home.

Benjamin Moore’s 2024 Trend Palette

Paint - Wear and tear, smudgy fingers and accidental dings are all a good reasons to paint. You may be lucky and just need a few touch-ups for now which are great to keep your home looking fresh. If it’s been a while, you may want to consider more. Painting your home can provide an instant refresh, revitalizing its appearance and breathing new life into your living space. Whether you're aiming for a subtle transformation or a bold statement, a fresh coat of paint can significantly enhance the ambiance of any room.

Interior design trends for 2024 are filled with colours that evoke tranquility, harmony, and a sense of rejuvenation. Soft, muted hues such as sage green, blush pink, and gentle blues are popular choices. Additionally, earthy tones like terracotta and warm neutrals remain timeless options. Embracing these on-trend colors for your home painting project can make your living spaces feel contemporary and fresh, and it can also add value to your home.

Cleaning - Beyond the routine tasks of dusting and decluttering, it's essential to pay attention to often neglected areas that may accumulate grime over time. One such area is the tops of cabinets and ceiling corners, where dust tends to gather unnoticed. Additionally, overlooked spots like baseboards, light fixtures, and air vents can harbour dust and dirt, impacting air quality and overall cleanliness. Don't forget to give your appliances, such as the refrigerator coils and oven hood, a thorough cleaning to ensure optimal performance and longevity.

Thorough Spring Cleaning, including attention to neglected areas, improves the appearance and functionality of your home and potentially increases its market value and appeal to prospective buyers.

2. Furniture - The days of keeping your furniture for a lifetime and passing it down to your kids are long gone. Styles are changing quickly and furniture just isn’t made with the same quality as it once was. A whole house of new furniture can be expensive, but a refresh of a few new pieces (new or new-to-you from a local consignment store) can give you the new feeling you’ve been looking for. A couple great places to check out to get a great deal on furniture include Home Decor and More and Loved You Madly. Looking for some design inso? I love following @schenkliving for her modern farmhouse design. She also does great work giving older pieces of furniture new life.

Mechanics and other less glamorous things

The mechanics of your home are really important to maintain. Although it  brings zero glamour or style to your home, it’s not something you should skimp out on. Especially for resale. When it comes to selling, old, unmaintained mechanics can really scare a buyer off. And if it doesn’t scare them off, it’s always where buyers like to start playing the “let’s deduct a new roof or furnace from our offer price” game. 

Darcy McLeod, owner of Brick House Home Inspection Services takes home maintenance and safety seriously. Here are some great tips from Darcy to ensure your home is safe and protected from exterior and interior conditions. 

Roof - A 25 year roof can translate to just 12 to 14 years of life expectancy.  You should inspect your roofing material bi-annually, but after a decade you may start to see some more noticeable wear and tear.  If you see cupping/curling shingles, gaps, missing granules or shingles contact a professional roofing contractor as soon as possible for a full evaluation of the roof areas.  Roof leaks can lead to very expensive repairs.

Replace your smoke and CO alarms -  Safety is the most important issue in your home.  New Smoke and CO alarms use 10 year lithium batteries.  If you live in a duplex, triplex etc., the units should include a strobe light (for the hearing impaired) and if one unit is triggered, all the units should trigger.  These alarms should be installed on every floor of the home. Check local fire safety codes and follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions for these alarms.

Fire Extinguisher - Most people tend to forget this important safety item.  There should be a fire extinguisher in the garage, kitchen and laundry room.

Electrical - Electrical codes change frequently.  When you moved into your home GFCI’s (ground fault circuit interrupters that help prevent electric shock) may not have been mandatory for exterior, kitchen, laundry room and bathrooms.  Update your electrical outlets to include GFCI’s in these areas and always use a licensed electrical contractor.

Furnace/AC and water heaters -  How old was the furnace/AC and water heater when you moved into your home?  A system aged 15 years or more is considered to be at the end of its service life.  Have a licensed HVAC contractor and/or plumber come and evaluate the condition of these systems.  Regular, annual service for these units is always recommended.

TIme for a new Bliss Home

Spring often brings feelings of energy, excitement and change. Maybe you are looking to upsize, downsize or maybe you have the itch to relocate like my family did. 

A well-maintained and clean home not only looks more appealing to potential buyers but also indicates that the property has been cared for and is in good condition. Additionally, a clean and clutter-free home allows potential buyers to envision themselves living in the space more easily, potentially leading to a quicker sale at a higher price.

If you are considering moving, or you are curious what your home is worth and your options, call a local Realtor for a home evaluation. If you don’t have a local realtor you have been working with regularly (or recently),  I always recommend interviewing a handful of realtors to see who the right fit is for you to help you meet your real estate goals.