18 tasks that protect your home, your health, and your wallet before May.
Spring arrives and most homeowners feel it — a vague sense that there are things to do, things that should have been done already, things that are quietly getting worse. The gutters. The HVAC. The deck. The smoke detectors.
This checklist exists to clear that feeling. Work through these 18 tasks before May and you will protect your home from the most expensive spring damage, get ahead of summer maintenance before it becomes urgent, and have one fewer thing living rent-free in your head.
We have organised them by category and included the cost context that makes each one worth prioritising.
This is the single most important spring task for homeowners. Gutters clogged with winter debris send water straight down your foundation walls during April rains. Foundation water damage is the most expensive home repair most people ever face — repairs run from $3,000 to $10,000 depending on severity.
A professional gutter cleaning costs $100 to $200. Book it now, before the April rains arrive and before every gutter cleaning company in your area is booked out for three weeks.
Walk around your home and look up. You are looking for missing or curled shingles, flashing that has lifted away from chimneys or vents, and any dark patches that indicate moisture damage. Winter ice dams and wind do most of their roof damage invisibly. Catching it in spring means a repair. Missing it means a replacement.
If you see anything concerning, book a roofer before the summer rush. A repair call in spring costs significantly less than an emergency call in July when your roof is actively leaking.
Failed caulk around windows and doors lets moisture in during spring rains and drives up energy costs year-round. Walk the exterior of your home and press along every window and door frame. If the caulk is cracked, pulling away, or missing in sections, replace it. A tube of exterior caulk costs $6 and takes 30 minutes.
Pay particular attention to the ledger board — the board where your deck connects to the house. This is where rot starts, because water collects in the gap between the deck and the house. Press a screwdriver into the wood. If it goes in easily, you have rot. Also check the posts at ground level and any boards that show discolouration from winter moisture.
Catching rot on a single board is a $50 repair. Missing it for two more seasons is a full deck replacement.
Water finds its way into driveway cracks, freezes, expands, and makes them significantly worse each winter. Fill cracks in spring before the summer heat bakes them open further. Driveway crack filler costs around $10 and takes 20 minutes.
This is the most time-sensitive item on this list. HVAC technicians fill up completely in May when warm weather arrives and everyone realises their AC is not working properly. Book in April.
An annual AC tune up costs $75 to $150. It includes cleaning the coils, checking refrigerant levels, and inspecting all components. A system that is not maintained runs less efficiently and is more likely to break down on the hottest day of July.
Replace every 90 days. A $15 filter protects a $5,000 system by preventing dust buildup on the coils, improving airflow, and reducing the load on the motor. Most people replace theirs every 6 to 12 months. Spring is a natural reminder to do it.
Sediment builds up at the bottom of your water heater over time, reducing efficiency and shortening the life of the unit. Flushing it takes about 30 minutes and requires attaching a garden hose to the drain valve. Do it once a year. Water heaters cost $800 to $1,500 to replace. The flush costs nothing.
Press the test button on every detector in your home. If it does not sound, or sounds weakly, replace the batteries. If the unit is more than 10 years old, replace the whole detector — the sensor degrades over time regardless of battery condition.
This task takes 15 minutes. There is no cost justification needed.
Pour a bucket of water into the sump pit. The pump should activate immediately and drain the water. If it does not, test the float mechanism and check that it is plugged in. Spring is when you need your sump pump most.
Pre-emergent weed control must go down before soil temperatures hit 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Once soil reaches that temperature, crabgrass and other annual weeds begin germinating and pre-emergent is no longer effective. In most of the US this window runs from late March through mid-April depending on your region.
Miss this window and you will be pulling weeds by hand all summer. Scotts Turf Builder with Halts is one of the most widely recommended products for this application.
The first fertiliser application of the year goes down in early spring, setting up the whole season. Use a slow-release nitrogen fertiliser appropriate for your grass type. Cool-season grasses like fescue and bluegrass feed in spring and fall. Warm-season grasses like Bermuda and zoysia wait until soil temperatures warm consistently above 65 degrees.
Before you run the full system, check each zone individually for broken or misaligned sprinkler heads. Winter frost shifts heads out of alignment. Walk each zone while it runs and adjust anything that is spraying sideways or not at all.
Winter storms leave dead branches throughout the canopy. Get them down before spring storms do it for you. Prioritise any branches within 10 feet of your roofline.
UV season starts in May and peaks through August. Check expiration dates on anything left from last summer. Stock up now with SPF 50 or higher for the whole family. Sunscreen is FSA eligible.
This feels early in April. It is not. Pediatricians fill up in August — some are booked 6 to 8 weeks out. Many schools require physical forms on file before the first day. Book the appointment in April or May for a summer date.
Most dental insurance plans cover two cleanings per year. Most people use one or neither. Schedule both your spring and fall cleanings in April while you have time to think about it. Dental cleanings are FSA eligible.
Indoor air quality drops over winter when homes are sealed up. Allergens, dust, and pet dander accumulate in filters. Spring is the right time to reset. Check the filter in every air purifier and replace anything that is visibly dirty or past its recommended replacement date.
Working through this checklist once is straightforward. Remembering to do it every spring — and knowing which tasks are time-sensitive and when the windows close — is where most homeowners fall short.
Celene and Co exists for exactly this reason. When you join, you tell Celene about your household once. From there, Celene sends you perfectly timed reminders for every task on this list, every season, with everything you need to act on them.
Gutter cleaning reminder arrives before the April rains. AC tune up reminder arrives in April before HVAC techs fill up. Pre-emergent reminder arrives when soil temperatures in your region are approaching the critical threshold.
You do not have to remember any of it. That is the whole point.