Our homes are a safe oasis away from external elements. We spend 90% of our time in our homes sleeping, eating, playing, working, and just simply being out of the elements. The problem is, our homes need to be maintained in order to survive the elements themselves! Crafting a thorough home maintenance checklist can help ensure that our homes continue to keep us safe and protected for years to come.
You’re busy. We all are. Life can move past us so fast without even realizing how much time has passed. It’s easy to let the state of our homes fall by the wayside when we’re enjoying and living our lives. The unfortunate result, though, are failures in the home that often lead to issues such as water damage. Water-damaged buildings come with a host of issues that do not support our wellbeing and can wreak havoc on our happy lives.
The more we can proactively safeguard our homes and combat potential issues, the better these spaces will support our wellness. That’s why we’ve decided to create home maintenance checklists and guides to help homeowners understand what needs to be done, when to do it, and how to do certain things to keep their homes in tip-top shape while still being able to live their life with ease.
why is a home maintenance plan important?
In short, for your health! Far too often, individuals are given a diagnosis but are not provided with the underlying root cause. Why are those chronic symptoms happening in the first place? An aspect of the equation we often fail to consider is whether or not environmental exposures could be triggering these reactions.
Exposures that could be occurring right in our own homes.
Dr. William Rea of Dallas, TX, introduced the concept of the “rain barrel effect,” where he says that our bodies are similar to these collection systems. We all come into this world with different, unique barrels that fill up over time. Adverse health reactions are the result of overflowing barrels.
Spending time in toxic environments exacerbates how quickly our “rain barrels” fill. The longer you are in a contaminated space, the more toxins are making their way into your body, adding to your overall toxic load. Eventually, this bucket fills up and spills over creating a range of different symptoms.
A few common symptoms of environmental exposure can include, but can look different for everyone depending on the person, genetics, and lifestyle factors:
- Weight Gain
- Hair Loss
- Memory Loss
- Brain Fog
- Fatigue
- Frequent Urination
- Allergies
- Runny Nose
- Water Eyes
- Forgetfulness
- Lightheadedness
As long as that contamination exists in the building, exposure will continue (the bucket will continue to fill) and those symptoms can persist (AKA the bucket will be overloaded and spill out).
To avoid these adverse health reactions, we’ve got to up the ante on our home maintenance checklists and prioritize taking care of our indoor environments.
Contaminants from improper maintenance
Mold, toxins, and bacteria are at the top of the list of contaminants that can build up without a solid home maintenance checklist. Once microorganisms like mold and bacteria begin growing indoors, they’ll release mold spores, mycotoxins, MVOCs, fragments, endotoxins, and exotoxins into the surrounding environment.
Anytime an individual spends time in this area, it introduces an opportunity for these particles to make their way into the body through inhalation, absorption, and ingestion. Over time, this can lead to that rain barrel overflowing (from the toxic burden) and the exposed individual developing chronic symptoms and/or disease.
What does a home maintenance checklist have to do with avoiding these contaminants?
When our buildings fail because they haven’t been serviced, we run the risk of water entering our buildings and damaging the materials. Both mold and bacteria require moisture to begin growing and survive. If tasks are missed over time and the integrity of the home is compromised, moisture can enter the home. If mold spores or bacteria come in contact with one of these water-damaged surfaces, they’ll begin to grow and release contaminants into the indoor space.
An Added Consideration
Working to keep your home in good shape is also beneficial for the structure’s integrity. Whenever failures occur in a home, such as moisture intrusion in the basement, the foundation of the building will suffer. Over time, the affected areas will become less durable, leading to more issues down the road. That will result in unsafe living conditions and more money spent resolving the problems. Not to mention the stress and headaches associated with coordinating efforts to transform the home into an awakened space that promotes health and wellness.
home maintenance checklist success
We understand that the list of items that need to be cleaned, repaired, and maintained in a home is long and painful, especially when we’ve never done it before. Here are the top reasons we see people not following through with a home maintenance plan, despite all of the benefits:
- We don’t have time to service/maintain our homes.
- We forget to do certain things in our homes until a long time has passed or we notice something has been damaged.
- We don’t know how to service/maintain our homes.
- We don’t realize certain things need to be maintained.
- We don’t know how often things should get serviced.
- We absolutely loathe chores…
This is exactly why we’ve created a step-by-step process for homeowners to eliminate the stress and overwhelm of knowing what, when, and how to do many of the most important things required to maintain a home.
Introducing the Awakened Homeowner
Interested in detailed guidance and videos that you can begin to slowly incorporate into your daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual home maintenance checklist? We will also teach you how to use basic monitoring tools so that you’re empowered to take your home maintenance by the reins.
Click here to sign up for the Awakened Homeowner today. This tool will act as a roadmap for your journey to happiness and health in your home.
There are checklists and tutorial videos within its contents to help guide you through what types of things need to be done on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual, and seasonal basis to ensure you stay on top of your tasks and keep your home in tip-top shape for years to come!
It even includes breakdowns of how to “detox” certain rooms in the home for optimal health.
A home maintenance checklist may seem daunting, but with this tool, you’ll be well on your way to success.

Ashley · @AwakeningSpaces
Awakening Spaces is a full service interior design and consulting firm that support health conscious individuals and those who have been impacted by mold, chemicals, and EMFs create safe nurturing spaces.
Whether you’re renovating, building new, or looking to improve your existing space, we’re here to help you navigate the massive project you’re taking on by looking at your environment holistically and outlining the steps you need to take so that you can feel confident that your home is supporting your health and you can get back to your life.