Maintenance schedules fail because they are too ambitious to keep. A short routine that actually happens is worth more than a thorough one that is skipped twice and then abandoned.
Four steps, once a season, in this order:
- Clear the surfaces completely, so that what is underneath can be seen rather than worked around.
- Deal with anything that is already loose — a fixing, a hinge, a seam. Loose things get worse; nothing else on this list does.
- Clean, then let everything dry fully before it goes back. Most damage attributed to cleaning is really damage from reassembling too early.
- Write down what was replaced and when. Next season this note answers a question that memory will not.
The order matters more than the thoroughness. Repairs made before cleaning get undone by the cleaning.
