7 important tasks that Daylight Saving reminds us to do

Daylight Saving is the traditional time to do a thorough safety check in your home, plus a few other things you may not have thought of, writes Christine Stride.

The advent of Daylight Saving prompted us to come up with seven important household maintenance tasks that will help keep your household running safely and smoothly.

Change the batteries in your smoke detectors

You've likely heard this one before, but it's worth repeating. Take the time to make sure your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order and have new batteries. Flames can consume a home in as little as five minutes, and the risk of dying in a fire is halved in homes with working smoke alarms.

Flip your mattresses, clean under the beds

To make sure your mattress wears evenly, you should flip it every six months. And it's a good idea to get down under the beds to wipe or vacuum any dust (or cobwebs) off the underside. Not sure why spiders think they’ll find a meal down there, but they do.

Sort toys for winter

Now’s a good time to throw away - oops we mean sort out (hehe) a selection of toys to store away for winter, so when Daylight Saving returns, they’ll be ‘new’. If you have a craft box, or a dress up box, sort through them: restock the basic craft items such as glue, tape, stickers, paper, and throw out any pens that don’t work. Wash any costumes that may need freshening up.

Take stock of your medicine cabinet and pantry

Now is a great time to de-clutter your stash of food and medical supplies. Toss out anything that has expired, especially kids' paracetamol. Toddlers can help match lids to containers if you have a container collection, and throw away any that are cracked or lid-less.

Check your emergency kit

If you've depleted your supply of torch batteries, plasters, and other just-in-case items over the past six months, use this time to restock.

Replace or clean filters around your house

Regularly inspect the filters in your heating and air-conditioning units to make sure the systems are still running well. Most units have an anti-allergen cycle that will help clean them out. If you have one, check the water filter in your fridge too, and the HEPA filter in your vacuum.

Wash or replace pillows

You can probably imagine what builds up on, and accumulates in, your pillows over time, so they need a good cleaning twice a year. Owned a pillow for more than two years? Replace it, especially if it’s a feather one.