As you ready your house for warmer weather, take some time to check these items off your list:

• Test the ground-fault circuit interrupters—or GFCIs—in bathrooms, the laundry room and other spaces where you use running water. Plug a hair dryer or any device into the outlet, turn it on, and then push the “test” button. The hair dryer should turn off. Press “reset,” and it should turn back on. If that doesn’t happen, call a licensed electrician to check it out.
• Replace the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Push the “test” button, and the alarm should sound. Or light a match and hold it next to the fire alarm. It should sound.
• It’s almost air conditioning season, which means it’s time to change your a/c filters. Dirty filters make the a/c work too hard and can even wear your HVAC system out before its time. Replace filters about once a month during the summer.