Note: This DIY article is provided as a general guide only and is not intended to take the place of product-specific installation procedures; always follow applicable manufacturers’ instructions. Depending on your home’s age and condition, location within the home, and other potential factors, repairs and/or upgrades or other services may be necessary prior to the beginning and/or completion of your project that may involve the services of a home improvement professional. This article does not include advice pertaining to local building codes and/or any related inspections.

A strong seal starts with simple habits. These 9 home maintenance tasks show how to clean, check, and reseal key joints so your home stays dry, efficient, and ready for any season.

Small checks prevent big repairs. Build the habit of looking once a season before you need to replace what water or air has already damaged.

#1: Build a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual habit for kitchens and baths

Moisture collects fast in kitchens and baths, and the joints around tubs, showers, and sinks are often the first places to show wear. Make a simple rotation part of your home maintenance routine. Each week, wipe tub perimeters, shower corners, and sink edges. Use a mild cleaner and a soft cloth to clear residue, then dry the bead. Run the exhaust fan if you have one to help move moisture out of the room.

Once a month, scan backsplash lines, sink rims, and faucet bases with a flashlight. Watch for thin separations or edges that flex. If you see lifting, tearing, or embedded staining, treat it as a reseal task rather than a cleaning one. Handle it soon instead of waiting for your annual audit.

Use the annual check as a wider review. Look across tubs, showers, and sinks for peeling or cracking joints, then remove any failed bead and reseal with the GE product suited to that surface. See below for a guide on picking your sealant.

#2: Use a product-matching check before every seal

Before starting any sealing work, add a short review step to your home maintenance tasks. This habit helps you choose a GE sealant or foam that fits the conditions.

Ask yourself four quick questions:

• Is the area wet or dry?
• Will the surface be painted or left unpainted?
• Does the joint move with use, or is it mostly static?
• Is the gap a narrow line or a deeper cavity?

Use your answers to pick the right GE category. 

For kitchens and baths, unpainted wet joints are a good fit for a 100% GE silicone, such as GE Supreme Silicone Kitchen & Bath Sealant. Where the joint meets painted drywall or trim, use a paintable hybrid like GE Pro Seal Max Kitchen & Bath Sealant.

For windows, doors, and exterior trim, focus on movement, weather, and finish. Frames and siding-to-trim joints often need flexibility and weather resistance. If the finish will stay unpainted or factory coated, choose a 100% GE silicone window and door sealant such as GE Supreme Silicone Window & Door Sealant. If you plan to paint the trim, use a paintable SMP hybrid like GE Pro Seal Max Window & Door Sealant.

For larger gaps and pest-prone areas, look at depth as well as width. Narrow joints take sealant. Deeper or irregular cavities around frames or penetrations benefit from GE low-expansion insulating foams, such as GE Window & Door Foam for frame cavities and GE Pest Block Insulating Foam where insects may enter. 

Add a backer rod where the joint is deeper than 1/4 inch, then finish with a surface bead if the area needs a weather seal.

Keep brief notes on which GE product you used in each location. This makes future maintenance faster and more consistent.

#3: Do a spring and fall whole-home sealant walk

Add a twice-yearly inspection to your seasonal checklist: once in spring, once in fall. 

Walk through every area where sealant protects against air or moisture. Check kitchens and baths for early cracks, windows and doors for gaps, siding joints for splits, and garage thresholds or hose bibs for visible wear. 

Use light pressure to feel for loosened edges or movement. Note each concern with tape or a mark for later repair. This walk builds awareness before small issues become costly ones.

#4: Make draft testing a fall ritual for windows and doors

Each fall, make draft testing part of your home maintenance routine before temperatures drop. 

Choose a breezy day and hold a tissue or incense stick near the edges of your windows and doors. 

Watch for movement at corners, meeting rails, and sill joints. Mark any leak points with tape for follow-up. If air movement comes from shifting parts, weatherstripping may help. 

If the gap is fixed or open, note it for sealing in #5 or #6 below. This small check helps target repairs before energy costs rise.

#5: The small-gap rule as a habit: seal joints 1/4 inch or less

For narrow joints around windows, doors, or trim, measure the width first.

If it’s 1/4 inch or less and the surfaces are clean, dry, and stable, apply a smooth, continuous bead using the GE sealant you selected in #2 above. 

Tool once for an even finish, and protect the area until the bead skins over to prevent dust or moisture from affecting adhesion.

#6: Apply the big-gap rule: use low-expansion foam for cavities wider than 1/4 inch

Large gaps behind window or door trim let air move freely through the wall, making them an important part of your regular home maintenance routine. Fill these gaps with the GE low-expansion insulating foam you selected in your product-matching check to stop drafts without bowing the frame. 

Allow the foam to cure, then finish the joint with trim or a light surface bead.

#7: Block pest entry at exterior penetrations each spring

Openings around vents, hose bibs, and conduit lines can become quiet access points for insects and moisture. 

As part of your annual home maintenance tasks, inspect each exterior penetration and clean the area before sealing. For gaps up to about an inch, fill the cavity with GE Pest Block insulating foam. For larger openings between 1 and 3 inches, use GE Big Gaps & Cracks Insulating Foam, then finish the surface with the exterior GE sealant you selected earlier.

After curing, seal the surface with the right exterior GE product you picked. 

#8: Tune up siding and trim perimeter bands before freeze–thaw

Before cold weather sets in, inspect the joints around your home where siding meets trim boards or accessory blocks. 

Look for cracks, gaps, or peeling sealant that could allow water to reach the sheathing beneath. 

Clean the area thoroughly, and add backer rod if the joint is deeper than 1/4 inch. 

Apply the GE exterior window and door sealant you selected in your product-matching check, and make sure it suits the surface and finish. 

#9: Keep a ready sealant kit and retire expired tubes quarterly

Preparation keeps every project efficient and consistent. Dedicate a small bin for your sealant supplies and review it every few months. 

Your home maintenance kit should include:

• GE Sealant Remover Tool 
• GE Smoothing Tool
• Caulk gun and utility knife 
• Backer rod 
• Painter’s tape 
• Gloves and rags 
• A GE kitchen & bath sealant for wet zones
• A GE window & door sealant for frames and trim
• A GE insulating foam for larger gaps or cavities

Check each tube’s date stamp, replace any that have aged or hardened, and store them upright in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. If you’ve opened a tube, seal the nozzle with a nail or screw, wrap it tightly, and plan to use it again within a few months. 

Ready to start your home maintenance plan? Find trusted GE sealants and insulating foams at a retailer near you in the U.S. or Canada.