After a long, cold winter, a warm breeze can make you want to drop everything and get outside. But before you start fantasizing about your garden or grilling on the patio, it’s important to check a few things off your indoor to-do list. “I work on residential renovations and repair issues all the time, and spring is usually when a lot of small winter problems start showing themselves,” explained Maksim Sauchanka, owner of BMR Belmax Remodeling.Taking a few minutes to do some simple preventative maintenance can save you thousands (and a lot of headaches) in the long run. Here are the tasks experts say you should focus on first:1. Clean your gutters.People tend to do this chore in the fall and forget about it, but there can be a lot of debris left after winter.“Compressed debris in your gutters can cause overflows during a typical spring rainstorm,” said Tyler Hull, a contractor and general manager of Modern Exterior in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Overflowing water drenches fascia boards and roofing edges. Eventually, that moisture works its way into roof decking and you are looking at several thousand dollars in repair bills.” 2. Inspect your plumbing.Homeowners file more insurance claims because of water damage and freezing than fire or theft, according to the Insurance Information Institute. And on average, those claims are for more than $11,000 worth of damage.Winter’s cycle of freezing and thawing can stress pipes, especially those in uninsulated areas or outdoors. Expanding and contracting can loosen connections and cause small leaks that could take weeks to notice, Hull said.“You might not have a burst pipe to deal with, but the water damage from slow dripping can ruin cabinets, subfloors and other materials nearby,” Hull noted, so it’s a good idea to give your pipes a once-over and check for any moisture, water stains, mineral buildup, corrosion on braided lines or loss of pressure.3. Give your caulk a once-over.“Everyone thinks to check the roof and the gutters after a hard winter, but damage inside bathroom walls is silent, invisible and often far more expensive by the time it surfaces,” said Jacob Tipps, founder of CincyBath in Cincinnati, Ohio.Freeze-thaw cycles can crack caulking and grout joints, letting in moisture that eventually leads to mold. Run a fingernail along every caulk joint and grout line in the shower and around the tub.“If anything feels soft, crumbles or has pulled away from the surface even slightly, moisture is already getting behind it,” Tipps said.He also recommended doing this 30-second test: Turn the bathroom fan on and hold a tissue near the grill. If it doesn’t pull and hold, the fan isn’t moving enough air.“A weak or dead exhaust fan heading into spring and summer, when humidity climbs, creates the conditions for mold to establish in as little as 24 to 48 hours,” he said. 4. Vacuum your vents.After a winter of running the heat nonstop, your vents and registers could use a good cleaning, said Brooke Greenwood, director of residential product management at Carrier. Dirt, dust and hair from shedding pets can build up and irritate allergies or asthma.And don’t forget your dryer vent. Not to be confused with the lint filter, the dryer vent is a wide exhaust hose that vents to the outside. It’s often overlooked, according to Yoni Benimetzky, owner of Sunshine Services in Gainesville and Ocala, Florida.“Over winter, dryers run more frequently with heavier loads, and lint accumulates faster than people realize,” he said. “A clogged dryer vent is a genuine fire hazard. If clothes take longer to dry or the dryer feels excessively hot, that vent needs cleaning immediately.” Pramote Polyamate via Getty ImagesReplacing your filters and cleaning your vents are crucial parts of home maintenance before winter is over.5. Replace filters.One of the easiest preventative maintenance tasks you can perform is to clean or replace your system’s air filter, Greenwood said. It will be located in your indoor unit and usually slides in and out. Air filters not only help improve indoor air quality, they can also extend the life of your A/C unit by preventing dirt from building up inside. If you have a whole-house water filtration system, check and replace that filter as needed, too. 6. Examine your attic.You’re looking not only for pests (mice, wasp nests) but also popped nails. “Every time we have a freeze-thaw cycle, the roofing nails push up about 1/16 of an inch,” Hull said. “Once the nail head is exposed, you now have an open hole under a very thin tab of shingle.”This can cause leaks during spring storms, as I found out. I never suspected the roof was the problem because I had it replaced recently, and spent a lot resealing my chimney unnecessarily. In the end, all I had to do was hammer the nail back into place.7. Check your smoke and CO2 detectors.The risk of dying in a fire is 60% lower in homes with working smoke alarms, according to the National Fire Protection Association. But that risk rises when your fire alarm has dead batteries or has been disconnected after one too many late-night beeping sessions.“The average life of most CO2 detectors is five to seven years, and most smoke detectors last about 10,” according to Keon White, owner of House Cleaning 4U in Seattle. “If yours are older than that, the sensors have worn out irrespective of battery condition and should be replaced.” 8. Upgrade your electrical outlets.Cold temperatures, moisture and winter storms can take a toll on your home’s electrical system, said Sauchanka.Test all of your GFCI and AFCI outlets (those are the ones that have buttons in the center). When you press the “test” button, there should be no power to the outlet. You can plug a light or other device in to make sure, then press reset to get it working again. (I once paid an electrician $100 to hit that reset button because I didn’t know any better!) Replace any that do not trip or reset. You can now get smart outlets that send an alert to your phone if a fault is detected.This is also a good time to add surge protectors for any delicate or expensive electronics. “Spring is the start of thunderstorm season and heat waves, and both mean a heightened risk of power surges that can silently damage or destroy your home’s electronics and appliances,” Sauchanka said. 9. Flush your water heater.“Your water heater has been working at peak demand all winter against colder incoming water temperatures, which accelerates sediment buildup,” Benimetzky said. “Spring is a good time to flush the tank and check for rumbling, leaks or declining performance.”You can hire a professional or try this yourself. Make sure to turn off power to the heater and shut off the water supply. Then connect a hose to the bottom drain valve and place the other end in a sink. Open the hot water valve and the drain on the heater and empty the tank. Flush it with cold water to remove any sediment, then reverse the process to fill the tank. Check the pressure relief valves while you’re at it.“If it’s corroded, it can’t protect against dangerous pressure buildup,” Benimetzky said. “Lift the lever once a year to confirm it releases water and reseats properly. If it doesn’t, replace it.” 10. Inspect your crawl space.If you have a crawl space, go down with a flashlight. Look for standing water, pest activity, damaged insulation or compromised plumbing. “Crawl space problems go undetected for months because nobody looks,” Benimetzky said. 11. Tune up your A/C.“After windy conditions, heavy snow or other winter occurrences, it’s important to check out your HVAC condenser unit,” Greenwood said. “One simple way to potentially save money and prolong the life of an AC system is to make sure the outdoor unit stays clean.”Clear away leaves or other debris, and keep plants trimmed back so they don’t restrict airflow to the unit. And inspect the drain line. “A clogged drain is one of the most common summer service calls and entirely preventable,” Benimetzky said. He recommended pouring a cup of white vinegar through it. Spring is also the perfect time to schedule your maintenance and annual service call before techs get busy.12. Rotate your fans.A switch on ceiling fans changes the direction the blades whirl. Setting them to spin counterclockwise for spring and summer creates a wind chill effect that lets you set the thermostat a degree or two higher without losing comfort, according to Benimetzky.