What home jobs should you do in September?

September home maintenance: the checklist

In September, focus on six jobs: service the aircon, keep its filters clean, check windows and seals, look for damp on ceilings and walls, do a weekly Mozzie Wipeout and start planning the year-end clean. Most are quick checks you can do yourself. Servicing and deep cleaning are the ones to book.

• Service the aircon. An aircon September service gets the unit looked at before the wetter months, and the aircon servicing checklist shows what a visit should cover.
• Clean the filters. Clean them regularly, and check them more often during hazy spells.
• Check windows and seals. Make sure each window closes smoothly and has no loose or worn-out parts, as HDB's window guide asks, and that the seals sit flush.
• Check top-floor ceilings and walls for damp. Look for stains, damp patches or flaking paint, and read the guides to a top-floor roof leak and to water seepage on walls if you find any.
• Do the Mozzie Wipeout weekly. Clear stagnant water around your home at least once a week; Stop Dengue Now explains how.
• Plan the year-end and Chinese New Year (CNY) cleaning. Decide what you will do yourself and what you will book, using the CNY cleaning timeline.

When you book any of these jobs, ask the company what the visit includes, so you can compare like with like.

Why September: the weather

Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) says the Southwest Monsoon runs from June to September, so September is its last month. During this monsoon, occasional Sumatra squalls can arrive between the predawn hours and midday, and short afternoon showers and thunderstorms are common (MSS: Climate of Singapore).

What comes next matters more for your home. MSS describes the inter-monsoon period of October to November as having light and variable winds, with thunderstorms in the afternoon and early evening that are at times severe. It is generally wetter than the earlier inter-monsoon of late March to May. Rainfall is then higher from November to January, and the Northeast Monsoon's wet phase usually runs from December to early January (MSS).

So September is the month to check what keeps water out: windows, seals, ceilings and drains. If something needs repair, you then have time to arrange it before the heavier rain rather than during it.

Haze readiness

Haze is the other thing to watch in September. The National Environment Agency (NEA) publishes a 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) forecast range with a health advisory during haze, in the Southwest Monsoon months, when transboundary haze is more likely to affect Singapore. Its advice for households is to close doors and windows when the outdoor air quality appears to be worsening, and to re-open them when it improves (NEA: haze FAQs).

That advice works only if your windows and doors close properly, so check them before you need them shut. Follow the health advisory that comes with each forecast, and keep the aircon filters clean, checking them more often while the air is hazy.

Before the wetter months

Start with the windows. HDB asks you to check your windows once every 6 months to make sure they work smoothly and have no loose or worn-out parts. If a window is in danger of falling, take precautions to secure it and engage a window contractor approved by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and listed with HDB to replace or repair it. HDB also notes that there are penalties for falling windows (HDB: Windows).

Next, clear balcony and ledge drains. Remove leaves, soil from plant pots and any other debris so rainwater can drain away instead of pooling on the balcony or ledge. Take a second look after the first few heavy storms.

For a wider look at keeping rain out of your home, read monsoon season home care. When November arrives, the November home checklist has the next set of jobs.

Dengue checks

The drains and pots you clear for the rain also matter for dengue. NEA says Aedes mosquitoes breed in clean, stagnant water, and that water as small as a 20-cent coin is enough. It asks households to do the Mozzie Wipeout at least once a week, and it carries out dengue inspections of homes (NEA: Stop Dengue Now).

Make it part of your weekly routine. After you water the plants or after a storm, check plant saucers, pails, drain gratings and anything else that can hold water, and tip it out.

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