It’s time to fall back this Sunday, and that’s a great time to do some easy fall home maintenance! Most of us check our smoke detectors when we change the clocks for daylight savings time, but adding a few simple tasks can make standard home maintenance easier. Here are a few additional things to try when we fall back this year.

7 Maintenance Tips on Fall Back Day

• Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and remotes – Make sure you take the time to test them as well.
• Change the direction on your ceiling fans – This can help reduce your electric bill through the winter.
• Check and replace any burned out light bulbs – Most of us are guilty of having one or two of these out somewhere in the house. Go ahead and take care of this now so you’ll have one less thing to do before you have holiday guests.
• Check and replace expired medications and first aid items – It’s no fun to make a last minute trip to the store to grab this stuff when you really need it. Stay ahead of the game.
• Check and replace expired food in your fridge and pantry – It’s also a great time to stock up on your holiday staples. That way they will already be on hand if you need to a special recipe on short notice.
• Clean your refrigerator coils – This should be done a couple of times a year. Your refrigerator is one of the biggest energy consumers in the house because it runs all the time. You likely spend at least $1 per day to run your fridge. By cleaning the coils, you can ensure that it’s running efficiently and reduce your energy bill.
• Clean out your dryer filter and hoses – This is a leading cause of fires in homes. This is a maintenance item that should be done annually.

Sources:

https://www.adamshomes.com/fall-back-daylight-saving-time-home-maintenance-checklist/

https://www.sparkenergy.com/en/blog/archive/appliance-electricity-usage-guide/