Home scavenger hunt
Walk your place, find the 12 things that need regular care, and tick Remind me on the ones you want reminders for. Takes about 30 minutes.
Your answers save on this device as you go. Nothing is sent anywhere. Come back any time and pick up where you left off.
Find 12 things in your home. For each one: find it, say whether you have it, note what it is, and tick Remind me if you want a reminder. No account. It all stays on this device.
- Main water shutoff. Where the water line comes into your place: near the meter, in the basement, a crawlspace, a utility closet or the garage. Look for a round handle or a lever on the pipe.
- Furnace filter. In a slot on the furnace (or the indoor fan unit some homes have instead), behind a large vent cover on a wall or ceiling, or in a cabinet beside the furnace. The size is printed on the edge of the frame, like 16x25x1.
- Breaker panel. A gray metal box on a wall, usually in the basement, garage or a utility closet. Look only. Never open the panel or take the cover off.
- Smoke and CO alarms. On ceilings and high on walls: in each bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level. The date it was made is printed on the back. Source
- Dryer vent flap, outside. On the outside wall near the dryer: a hood with a flap or slats.
- Outdoor spigots and their indoor shutoffs. Each spigot on the outside walls, then the valve inside that feeds it, often on the pipe just inside that wall. Frost-free spigots shut the water off inside the wall on their own and have no separate shutoff.
- Fridge water and ice filter. Inside the fridge, often top right or at the back, or behind the grille at the bottom. How often to change it is printed on the filter or in the manual.
- Furnace humidifier pad. A box on the large metal air pipes of the furnace, with a small water line running to it. The pad sits behind the cover. How often to change it is printed on the pad or in the manual.
- Water softener salt. The tall tank beside the softener, usually near where the water comes in. Lift the lid and look.
- Whole-house water filter cartridge. A canister on the main water line, often just after the main shutoff. How often to change it is printed on the cartridge or its box.
- Air purifier filter. Behind the front or back cover of each air purifier. How often to change it is printed on the filter or in the manual.
- Other cartridge. Anything else at your place that takes a cartridge or filter: an under-sink drinking water system, a pool or a spa. Name it below.
General guidance only. Check your local codes and authorities, which can be stricter than national rules.
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