When did you last change the air filter? Replace the smoke detector batteries? Clean the dryer vent? If you’re like most people, the honest answer is “I’m not sure.”

Home maintenance is full of tasks that happen infrequently enough to forget, but matter enough that ignoring them gets expensive. A clogged dryer vent is a fire hazard. An old air filter drives up your energy bill. A neglected gutter leads to water damage.

The problem isn’t that you don’t care. It’s that there’s no natural way to remember something you do twice a year.

Why spreadsheets and calendars don’t work

You’ve probably tried the responsible approach: a spreadsheet, a calendar event, a note on the fridge. These work for about two months before you stop updating them.

Calendar reminders are even worse for home maintenance. “Change air filter” popping up on a random Tuesday doesn’t mean you’ll have the filter on hand, or that you’ll be home, or that it won’t get snoozed into oblivion. The same problem applies to vehicle maintenance like oil changes and pet medications — anything recurring but not strictly scheduled.

Just track when you did it

LastDid takes a simpler approach. When you change the air filter, tap “Air Filter.” Done. No scheduling, no reminders, no recurring events to configure.

Next time you’re at the hardware store wondering “Do I need air filters?” you open LastDid and see: “Air Filter — 87 days ago.” Now you know.

Home maintenance tasks people track

  • Air filter — HVAC filters every 1-3 months
  • Smoke detector batteries — typically every 6-12 months
  • Gutter cleaning — usually twice a year
  • Dryer vent cleaning — at least annually
  • Water heater flush — annually
  • Fridge coil cleaning — every 6-12 months
  • HVAC service — seasonal checkups
  • Lawn fertilizer — seasonal applications
  • Pest control — monthly or quarterly treatments

Patterns you’ll discover

After a few cycles, LastDid shows you your actual patterns. “You usually change the air filter every ~75 days.” That’s not a deadline — it’s just what you tend to do. If it stretches to 100 days, there’s no alarm. Just awareness.

Some people realize they’re replacing things more often than needed. Others discover they’ve been neglecting something for far longer than they thought. Both are useful insights.

One tap, then forget about it

The key to LastDid’s approach is that it asks almost nothing of you. You don’t need to maintain a system. You don’t need to remember to update anything. Just tap when you do the thing, and let the app hold that information for you.

When you need to know, it’s there. When you don’t, it stays quiet.