October 17th, 2009 March Home To Do List

Unclamp the vent pipe from the dryer and clean lint out. Reassemble tightly and check for leaks. Check the dryer door seal for leaks. Turn it on (the door must be closed) and run a tissue around the door. If the tissue is sucked in, the seal needs to be replaced.

Change the batteries in all your small electronics: portable phone and answering machine, smoke alarms etc. as well as all flashlights (bulbs too) and portable radios you might use in power outages.

Wash the filter (replace it if necessary) and clean the accumulated gook off the bristles of your vacuum cleaner, first making sure it’s unplugged.

Clean out the drain cup in the floor of your refrigerator: mix one cup hot water with one tablespoon baking soda. Squirt it into the drain with a plastic baster. Then pull out the catch basin under the refrigerator and empty it. Vacuum the coils on the back of the refrigerator.

Scrape out winter’s debris from gutters. Run a hose down drainpipes to wash them out. Then install gutter covers so you won’t have to do this anymore. If the gutters leak, repair or replace them.