Home Maintenance Schedule

The small jobs around the house are easy to forget until one costs you, like a dryer vent packed with lint or a smoke alarm past its date. Pick the ones in your home, choose how often, and let Claude or your calendar do the remembering.

1. Pick your reminders

Common timing is the typical guidance from makers and safety groups. My rule is what I do in my own home: never less often than the common timing, and sometimes more. Every reminder lands on the 1st of the month, so the monthly checks happen together.

Start each one with

Heating & cooling

Furnace filter

Common timing
Every 1–3 months

My rule
Every month

I use a 1-inch MERV 8 filter and swap it on the 1st, so I never wonder when I last did. Higher MERV ratings catch more but can clog sooner and restrict airflow. Check what your furnace's manual allows.
Furnace tune-up Pro

Common timing
Yearly, before heating season

My rule
Every September

September gets me on the schedule before the fall rush and the first cold night.
AC tune-up Pro

Common timing
Yearly, before cooling season

My rule
Every April

April, before the first hot week, while technicians still have openings.
Air purifier pre-filter

Common timing
Monthly

My rule
Monthly

A quick vacuum of the pre-filter helps the main filter last.
Air purifier main (HEPA) filter

Common timing
Every 6–12 months

My rule
Every 6 months

The main filter does the real work, so I don't stretch it.
Bathroom exhaust fan

Common timing
Yearly

My rule
Yearly

A dusty fan moves less air, and the mirror stays fogged longer.

Kitchen

Fridge water filter

Common timing
Every 6 months

My rule
Every 6 months, sooner if the water slows

If the water slows down or tastes off before six months, I change it early.
Fridge condenser coils

Common timing
Yearly

My rule
Every 6 months

Dusty coils make the fridge work harder. Unplug it first.
Dishwasher filter

Common timing
Monthly

My rule
Monthly

A rinse under the tap keeps dishes coming out clean.
Range hood grease filter

Common timing
Every 1–3 months

My rule
Monthly

Grease builds up faster than it looks. A soak in hot, soapy water does it.

Water

Water heater flush (tank)

Common timing
Yearly

My rule
Yearly

Flushing out sediment helps the heater last. Follow the maker's steps, and call a plumber if the drain valve or gas controls give you any doubt.
Washer hoses: check

Common timing
Yearly

My rule
Every 6 months

I look for bulges, cracks and drips at the connections.
Washer hoses: replace

Common timing
About every 5 years

My rule
At 5 years

A burst hose can let out a lot of water fast, so I don't wait for one to look bad.
Washer cleaning cycle

Common timing
Monthly

My rule
Monthly

Keeps the musty smell away.
Sump pump test

Common timing
Yearly, before the rainy season

My rule
Every 3 months

I pour a bucket of water into the pit and watch it switch on and empty.
Main water shutoff

Common timing
Yearly

My rule
Yearly

A valve that's never turned can stick right when you need it.
Water leak sensor batteries

Common timing
Per the maker, often every 1–2 years

My rule
Every November

I change them every November, around the clock change, without waiting for a low-battery warning.

Safety & security

Smoke alarms: test

Common timing
Monthly

My rule
Monthly

Press and hold the test button on each one, on the 1st with the other safety checks.
Smoke alarms: replace

Common timing
10 years from the date made

My rule
At 10 years

The date is printed on the back of each alarm. I write it on the front too, so I don't have to take it down to check.
Carbon monoxide alarms: test

Common timing
Monthly

My rule
Monthly

Same day as the smoke alarms.
Carbon monoxide alarms: replace

Common timing
Per the maker, often 5–10 years

My rule
On the maker's date

The label gives the replacement date. The reminder defaults to 7 years; change it to match your label.
Fire extinguisher check

Common timing
Monthly

My rule
Monthly

Needle in the green, pin in place, nothing blocking it.
GFCI outlets: test

Common timing
Monthly

My rule
Monthly

Press Test, then Reset. If one won't trip or reset, I have an electrician look at it.
Security sensor batteries

Common timing
Per the maker, often every 1–3 years

My rule
Every November

Door, window and motion sensors, on the same November day as the leak sensors.
Chimney inspection Pro

Common timing
Yearly

My rule
Every August

August, before fireplace season and before the chimney sweeps are booked up.

Network

Router updates

Common timing
Turn on auto-update, or check every few months

My rule
Monthly

Auto-update is on, but I still look once a month to make sure it actually ran.
Camera updates

Common timing
Turn on auto-update, or check every few months

My rule
Monthly

Same day as the router, in the camera app.

Laundry

Dryer vent cleaning

Common timing
Yearly

My rule
Every 6 months

Lint builds up in the vent even when the screen gets cleaned every load, and lint is what catches fire.

Outside & garage

Gutters

Common timing
Twice a year

My rule
April and November

November, once the leaves are down, and April for whatever winter left. Be careful on a ladder, or hire it out.
Outdoor faucets: hoses off, covers on

Common timing
Before the first freeze

My rule
Every October

Even a frost-free faucet can burst if a hose is left on, because the hose keeps water in the pipe.
Garage door auto-reverse test

Common timing
Monthly

My rule
Monthly

Lay a 2x4 flat under the door. It should reverse when it touches it. If it doesn't, stop using the opener until it's fixed.
Garage door lubrication

Common timing
Yearly

My rule
Every 6 months

Rollers, hinges and springs, with the lubricant the maker calls for.

Power

Battery backup (UPS) self-test

Common timing
Per the maker, often every 6 months

My rule
Every 6 months

I press the self-test button to make sure the battery still carries the load.
Battery backup (UPS) battery

Common timing
Every 3–5 years

My rule
At 3 years

I'd rather replace it on schedule than find out during an outage. How I replace it.

2. Get your reminders

Nothing picked yet.

Reminders from Claude

A scheduled task in Claude checks this list on its own and tells you what's due. The prompt below already has the dates worked out for the next 12 months.

How often Claude checks

Or add them to your calendar

One file with a repeating all-day event for each reminder, on the 1st of the month it's due. No AI needed.

Setting it up in Claude

Scheduled tasks need a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise). They run on Claude's side, so your computer can be asleep.

Copy the prompt above.
In Claude, open Cowork, choose Scheduled in the left sidebar, then New task and Set up manually. (You can also paste the prompt into a chat and ask Claude to schedule it.)
Paste the prompt, set the frequency to Daily or Weekly to match what you picked here, and save it.
Each run shows up on the Scheduled page.

To change what it watches, come back here (your picks are still saved in this browser), adjust them, copy the new prompt, and paste it over the old instructions on the Scheduled page. Do the same after a year, when the dates run out; the reminder will tell you. To stop it, pause or delete the task on the Scheduled page.

I use a scheduled task the same way to watch my utility rates.

Adding it to your calendar

Make a separate calendar first, named something like "Home upkeep," and import into it. If you change your mind, removing that calendar removes every reminder at once.
iPhone and Mac: open the downloaded file and choose to add the events.
Google Calendar: on a computer, go to Settings, then Import & export, and import the file. The Android app can't open it. Google skips the reminder alert built into the file, so turn on notifications for that calendar.
Outlook: open the file, or use Import in Outlook's calendar.
Changing it later: importing again adds a second copy of everything, so delete the old calendar or events first.

Good to know

Don't know when you last did something? Leave Last done blank and the first reminder comes on the next 1st. Then it repeats from there.
Replacement reminders (smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, washer hoses, battery backup batteries) only work with a date, since 10 years from today means nothing if the alarm is already 9 years old. The date made is printed on most alarms.
Doing a job early doesn't move the reminder. If you want the schedule to follow, update Last done and make a new prompt or file.

Common timings last checked October 29, 2026 against typical guidance from manufacturers and safety groups. Everyday Resiliency isn't affiliated with Anthropic or any manufacturer. See the disclaimer.