Home Repair and Maintenance

• Smart spring cleaning is about small home maintenance tasks that can save hundreds of dollars a year and take as little as 10–60 minutes each.

• Jobs like replacing HVAC filters, cleaning dryer vents, sealing drafty gaps, and flushing your water heater can lower energy waste and help avoid bigger repair bills.

• Other easy money-saving tasks, like cleaning fridge coils, clearing debris around your AC unit, and replacing cracked caulk, can help appliances run better and prevent costly fixes.

For many homeowners, spring cleaning means decluttering closets, scrubbing floors, and maybe finally dealing with the garage. That’s fine. However, the smartest spring cleaning jobs are the ones that can actually save you money.

Keep in mind that some of the most expensive home repairs start with tiny maintenance tasks people keep putting off. A dirty HVAC filter. A clogged dryer vent. Small gaps around doors and windows. A water heater quietly filling with sediment. None of it feels urgent until it suddenly is.

Here’s the spring cleaning checklist that actually matters.

Note: If you’re unsure about doing any of these jobs, make YouTube your new best friend. You’ll be amazed at the amount of extremely helpful DIY videos at your disposal for each of these home maintenance jobs.

Replace your HVAC filter before summer hits

This is one of those tiny jobs that gets ignored way too often.

ENERGY STAR says to check your HVAC filter every month during heavy-use seasons and change it at least every three months. A dirty filter slows airflow, forces the system to work harder, wastes energy, and can contribute to expensive maintenance or even early system failure.

That’s a pretty good return for a filter that might cost you $10 to $30. Spring is the perfect time to do it because your air conditioner is about to start working harder.

Actionable tip: Write the replacement month directly on the filter with a marker before installing it. This will help you remember the next time it needs to be replaced.

Pro tip: It’s smart to buy multiple filters at once when they go on sale. Homeowners are much more likely to change them on time when the replacement is already sitting in the garage or hallway closet.

Clean your dryer vent line, not just the lint trap

A lot of people think cleaning the lint screen is enough. It’s not.

The U.S. Fire Administration says failure to clean was the leading factor in the ignition of home clothes dryer fires from 2018 to 2020, accounting for 31% of incidents. The agency specifically warns that you are at a higher risk of a dryer fire if you don’t clean your lint filter and dryer vents.

A clogged vent makes the dryer run longer, which wastes energy and adds wear to the machine.

Actionable tip: Unplug the dryer first, then carefully pull it out, vacuum behind it, and clean the inside of the vent hose if you can safely access it. If the vent run is long or hard to reach, it may be worth hiring this out.

Pro tip: If a load that used to dry in 45 minutes now takes 70, stop treating that like a minor annoyance. It often means your vent needs some attention.

Caulk and weatherstrip the little air leaks

This is not the sexiest spring project, but it may be one of the best money-savers.

The Department of Energy says caulking and weatherstripping are simple, effective air-sealing techniques that often deliver payback in one year or less.

It also says air leakage can account for 30% or more of a home’s heating and cooling costs. Weatherstripping reduces heating and cooling costs around movable parts like doors and operable windows, while caulk is used for stationary cracks and gaps.

That is a pretty compelling reason to stop ignoring that drafty back door.

Actionable tip: Walk your house and check around exterior doors, windows, utility closets, and baseboards near drafty areas. If something wiggles, rattles, or lets in light, it needs attention.

Pro tip: Start with the obvious trouble spots, not the whole house. A $12 tube of caulk used in the right places beats a giant unfocused weekend project you never finish.

Flush your water heater before sediment builds up

Water heaters are easy to forget because they mostly sit there and do their job quietly. Until they don’t.

I put in a new water heater last year and vowed to flush it of sediment once a year. A quick visit to YouTube and I found this great video that walked me through the steps. It took me about 30 minutes total, and was fairly easy. I used a permanent marker and wrote the date I did the flush right on the unit so I knew when to do it again.

For many homeowners, spring is a good reminder to at least do a partial flush or schedule service if they’re not comfortable doing it themselves.

Pro tip: If your water heater is older and you’ve never flushed it, read the manufacturer's guidance first or have a plumber handle it. On neglected units, aggressive DIY flushing can actually cause it to start leaking.

Clean your refrigerator coils

This one gets skipped all the time because people either forget about it or have no idea fridge coils even exist.

Dusty condenser coils can make a refrigerator work harder than it should, and anything that makes a major appliance run harder usually means more wear and energy use over time. Spring is a great time to roll out the fridge and clean them because you’re already in maintenance mode, and it only takes a few minutes.

Usually, this means unplugging the fridge, locating the coils either behind or underneath the unit, and using a vacuum attachment to remove the dust buildup.

Actionable tip: If you have pets, move this small job up higher on your list. Pet hair builds up fast and can make this job much more important.

Pro tip: Take a quick photo before you start so you know how everything looked originally, especially if you have to remove a front grille to access the coils.

Clear debris around your outdoor A/C unit

Your air conditioner’s outdoor condenser needs some breathing room. If it is surrounded by leaves, weeds, cottonwood fluff, or overgrown plants, your airflow will suffer.

Spring is the obvious time to clear the area before peak cooling season begins. You do not need to turn this into a full HVAC tune-up, but some basic cleanup can help the unit run more efficiently.

I just did this recently at my house as I had a rosemary plant that decided to take over the entire area and was growing up the sides of my condenser. It was just a matter of weeks before the plant would have covered the top of the condenser and caused a serious airflow issue.

Pro tip: Don’t blast those delicate thin metal slats too hard with water pressure. They bend quite easily, and a light cleaning goes a long way.

Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks before damage starts

Sometimes the cheapest home-maintenance job is simply preventing water from sneaking into the wrong places.

Things like cracked or missing caulk around tubs, showers, and sinks can let moisture seep behind surfaces, which quickly turns into mold, rot, or wall damage.

This is a very inexpensive fix compared to what happens if you choose to ignore it.

Actionable tip: Look for cracked, peeling, or moldy caulk lines in bathrooms and kitchens. If it looks kinda rough, just replace it.

Pro tip: Do the guest bathroom too, not just the bathroom you use every day. Leaks don’t care which sink gets more traffic.

• Consumers are battling two types of disorder—messiness and overabundance—but often mistake one for the other.

• The way we view our stuff—through either a “possessive” or “post-materialist” lens—shapes how (and if) we ever regain control.

• Decluttering efforts often fail because consumers misdiagnose the problem, applying the wrong strategy to the wrong kind of disorder.

“I’m not proud of this"

A new academic study dives deep into the personal turmoil and social contradictions faced by consumers trying—and often failing—to control clutter in their homes. Drawing on interviews and ethnographic research with relatively affluent individuals in Switzerland and Germany, the researchers argue that most homes are simultaneously fighting not one, but two material disorders: untidiness (disorder of placement) and clutteredness (disorder of quantity).

Yet consumers, social media influencers, and even decluttering experts routinely collapse the two, leaving people stuck in a frustrating cycle of tidying up without ever solving the real problem.

“Material disorder is easy to see but hard to fix,” the authors note. “That’s because we focus on the wrong kind of mess.”

The study appears in the August 2025 Journal of Consumer Research, published by Oxford University. 

Two lenses, two problems

To explain why clutter persists, the researchers introduce two powerful conceptual frameworks:

• The Possessive Materialist Lens views possessions as extensions of the self. Disorder, in this view, is about misplaced objects—solved through tidying, categorizing, and finding a “right place” for everything. Think: color-coded bookshelves, storage bins, and home organization hacks.

• The Post-Materialist Lens sees clutter as an overabundance that oppresses rather than empowers. Here, disorder isn’t about where stuff is—it’s about how much of it there is. The solution isn’t tidying, but purging.

Both lenses are valid, the study finds—but dangerously incomplete when applied in isolation. A home may be perfectly tidy but feel suffocatingly full. Or it may be sparse in quantity but visually chaotic.

“Clutter returns” 

The findings explain why millions of consumers turn to social media, self-help books, and Netflix shows like Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, yet still feel defeated. Misdiagnosis is the core issue: we try to declutter when we should be tidying, or tidy when we should be letting go.

Popular advice also stacks the odds against consumers. For instance, Kondo’s brand promises transformation through “tidying,” even though her process often requires significant disposal. The confusion creates what the authors call a “conceptual mess”—one that mirrors the physical mess in many homes.

Understanding disorder

The study’s key contribution is a redefinition of clutter as plural—not one disorder, but several, often overlapping. By distinguishing between disorder-as-untidiness and disorder-as-clutteredness, consumers can better target their efforts and win back control of their spaces.

“What we’ve done in the past isn’t working,” one frustrated Facebook user says. This study suggests they’re right—not because they lack discipline, but because the problem has been misframed.

To truly clear the clutter, consumers must ask not just “Where does this go?” but “Should this even be here?” Only by viewing disorder through both lenses can we stop our possessions from possessing us.

Key takeaways:

• Royal Paper, a key supplier for Trader Joe’s and Kroger, is filing for bankruptcy amid a planned asset sale

• The company says operations will continue as normal during the transition to new ownership

• Toilet paper remains a sensitive commodity for consumers, with pandemic-era shortages still fresh in memory

Royal Paper has filed for bankruptcy. Why should you care? Well, not to sow widespread panic buying but Royal supplies toilet paper and other paper products to Trader Joe's, Kroger and other major outlets.

The bankruptcy isn't necessarily a crisis for those without bidets or other cleansing methods though. It's part of a sale of the Arizona company's assets to Sofidel America Corp., the companies announced.

The sale is subject to court approval but Royal said it "intends to move through this process while operating in the ordinary course – providing the high-quality products that its customers and partners rely on."

"Our team has been working diligently to strengthen our financial foundation in the face of difficult macroeconomic circumstances and other challenges facing Royal,” said Steve Schoembs, Chief Executive of Royal.

The company sells paper goods under a variety of brand names and store brands. 

"Some (stores) prefer to carry one of our proven retail brands like Earth First, SuperSoft, and EcoFirst. Others want to build their brands by working with us to create their own private label brand," the company said. 

A vital staple

Toilet paper is no small consideration for American consumers. During the early days of the COVID pandemic, supermarkets' paper goods shelves were bare as worried shoppers stocked up on vital supplies.

Driving the frenzy was the closure of many offices and institutions, where many consumers normally used on-site bathrooms. Those who suddenly began working from home found themselves running through their paper goods supplies, sparking an anguished reaction comparable to the fear of infection.

Paper manufacturers were caught with their plans down and did not have vast quantities of home-style toilet paper in stock. The office variety typically comes in huge rolls and is thinner than the more luxe version preferred by homeowners. 

Thus, there was an uncomfortable waiting period while supplies caught up with demand.