Four home-maintenance jobs worth remembering, with how often to do them: taken straight from ENERGY STAR and the manufacturers. Mark one done and this page remembers it, right here in your browser. No account, no email.
These aren’t the exciting jobs. They’re the cheap, five-minute ones that quietly keep the expensive machines in your house from working harder than they should. Tap Mark checked today when you do one. The page keeps the date so you know when it’s coming up again.
A clogged filter chokes the airflow your heating and cooling system needs, so it works harder and can wear out sooner, and the restricted airflow can freeze an AC coil or trip a furnace’s safety switch. ENERGY STAR’s guidance is to check the filter about once a month.
Source: ENERGY STAR: keeping your HVAC system working efficiently
Clean the lint screen after every load. It improves air circulation and the dryer’s efficiency. Every so often, check that the outside vent isn’t blocked or crushed; a restricted vent makes the dryer run longer to dry the same load.
Sources: ENERGY STAR: clothes dryers · PNNL Building America: proper dryer venting
Switch the direction at each season change. In summer, run it counter-clockwise to push air straight down: that creates a wind-chill effect that cools people, not the room, so turn it off when you leave and nudge the thermostat up while it runs.
Source: ENERGY STAR: ceiling fan installation and usage tips
Dust on the coils forces the compressor to work harder to shed heat, so the fridge runs more and can wear out sooner. Clear the dust periodically with a vacuum, but check your manual first, because some newer models have sealed, no-clean coils. Unplug the fridge before you clean them.
Source: PNNL Building America: clean refrigerator condenser coils