What home jobs should you do in February?

February home maintenance: the checklist

The dry, windy weeks of February suit jobs that need surfaces and fabrics to dry properly. Spread these seven jobs over the month, one or two per weekend.

• Paint a room. Choose a dry stretch and keep the windows open while you work.
• Reseal a bathroom joint. Replace cracked or mouldy sealant around the basin, bath or shower screen once the area is fully dry.
• Wash curtains and mattress covers. Windy days help heavy fabric dry right through.
• Clear the service yard. Sort boxes, pails and festive leftovers, and remove anything that holds water.
• Dispose of old appliances. Arrange collection or recycling for anything you replaced, instead of storing it.
• Check water use. Look for dripping taps and running cisterns, and compare this month's bill with earlier ones.
• Do the Mozzie Wipeout weekly. Check for stagnant water around the home at least once a week.

Painting is the biggest job on the list. Before you start, decide whether you have the time, tools and patience to prepare the walls, protect the floor and furniture, and finish the room in one dry stretch. DIY painting or a painter helps you weigh up the two routes. If you hire someone, the cost depends on the size of the room and the work needed, so ask for a written quote that lists what is included. If damp patches keep coming back, ask a contractor to find the cause before you repaint.

Why February: the weather

According to the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS), the Northeast Monsoon runs from December to early March. Its wet phase is usually December to early January, and its dry phase usually runs from late January to early March, when the weather is windy and relatively dry. MSS describes February as the driest month. Rainfall is higher from November to January, and the inter-monsoon period from late March to May brings light and variable winds, with thunderstorms, at times severe, in the afternoon and early evening.

That makes February a sensible window for jobs that need a few dry days in a row. Windy days help paint and laundry dry faster. Dry does not mean rain-free, though, so check the forecast before you start anything outdoors or anything that needs a full day to dry. If you live in a landed home, clearing gutters or recoating a gate also fits here, before the afternoon thunderstorms of the inter-monsoon months.

After Chinese New Year

Once the visits are over, give the home a short reset. Start with decorations: wipe them down, let them dry fully and pack them in sealed boxes so they stay clean until next year. If you followed a Chinese New Year cleaning timeline before the festive season, a lighter clean now is usually enough.

Next, walk through the home and check for damage from guests. Look at sofa fabric and dining chairs for stains or loose joints, check floors and walls for scuffs, and make sure toilets flush properly and floor traps drain well.

Then deal with the appliances you replaced. A new fridge, TV or washing machine can leave the old one sitting in the service yard, where it takes up space and may collect water. The guide on how to dispose of old appliances sets out your options, so you can clear the space instead of storing a unit you no longer use.

Keep bills down

The National Environment Agency (NEA) suggests setting the aircon at 25 degrees C and setting the timer to switch it off half an hour before you wake. NEA also suggests checking the aircon filter once a month, closing curtains or blinds during the hottest part of the day, and switching appliances off at the socket instead of leaving them on standby. If you have a storage water heater, NEA suggests switching it on 10 to 30 minutes before use and off afterwards.

Water use is worth a look too. Fix dripping taps and running cisterns, take shorter showers, and run the washing machine with full loads. If your water bill looks higher than usual after the visits, a quick check of taps and cisterns is a sensible first step. For more ideas, see how to save water at home.

Mosquitoes

Dry weather does not mean you can skip mosquito checks. According to NEA, Aedes mosquitoes breed in clean, stagnant water, and water as small as a 20-cent coin is enough. NEA's advice is to do the Mozzie Wipeout at least once a week, and NEA carries out dengue inspections of homes.

Look in the places that are easy to miss: flower pot plates, pails and basins in the service yard, vases, roof gutters and any container left outside. Empty them, turn pails over and keep gutters clear. Some of the dry season home jobs above help here too, since clearing the service yard and gutters removes spots where water can collect.

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