While spring cleaning is often associated with tidying up, dusting, and clearing your home, outdoor spring cleaning is just as essential. After weeks of winter, spring is about to arrive with the opportunity to spend more time outdoors. However, your garden and the outside of your house will undoubtedly need some TLC to turn it into an enjoyable living space.
6 Outdoor Spring Cleaning Tips
Here are six ways you can freshen up your home’s exterior and prepare it for the warmer months.
Cleaning Your Rain Gutters
Your gutters accumulate a surprising amount of debris over the winter months. And as the April showers approach, if your gutters are clogged, you’ll find yourself dealing with some leaking and flooding problems. Therefore, one of the most crucial outdoor spring cleaning tasks is clearing the gutters and downspouts.
Checking for Roof Damage
While you’re up high removing debris from your gutters, take this opportunity to check for any roof damage. For example, if you’ve had heavy storms this year, you may find you have missing or broken roof shingles that can lead to leaking in the attic. Call a professional straight away if you notice any problems, as roof repairs can get costly if not acted on quickly.
Cleaning Your Outdoor Furniture
Most people store their outdoor furniture and cushions in the garage or use rain covers to protect them over winter. Then, when they get them out again in spring, they may smell musty and look dull.
To freshen them up:
- Wash all the cushion and seat covers and replace any that look worse for wear.
- Scrub down your wooden furniture with water and detergent.
- If you see or smell any mold, add a small amount of bleach into your cleaning mixture.
Cleaning the Outside of the Windows
Cleaning the exterior windows is an important outdoor spring cleaning task. Now that the weather is warmer spend some time removing any cobwebs, washing the window panes, and repainting the frames if needed.
This simple, low-cost chore will make your house look ten times better. Not only will you have a clearer view, but your home will also appear brighter, and the exterior will look much fresher.
Cleaning and Tending to Your Spring Garden
As you start spending more time outdoors, you’ll want your garden to look vibrant and full of life, not dull and dry. So begin by raking leaves, picking up fallen branches, and cutting the grass. Then, trim your hedges and weed your flower beds. Finally, look for dead or weak plants and replace them.
Checking Your Outdoor Lighting
As warmer weather arrives and the days get longer, you can enjoy cozy evenings on the patio again. Avoid last-minute maintenance by checking that all your exterior lights work as part of your outdoor spring cleaning regime. This will give you plenty of time to replace any bulbs and ensure you have adequate lighting after dark.
Phoenix Property Inspections provides home inspection services to San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties in California. Contact us to schedule an appointment.