10 Tips for How to Prepare Your Home for Spring
Keeping up with the maintenance on your home goes beyond a regular spring cleaning. For example, when is the last time you tested your smoke alarms? Have you cleaned out your dryer vent yet this year? We’ve put together a list of a few things to make sure your home has a clean bill of health. Keep up with the maintenance of your home will help you enormously when and if you decide to list your home for sale.
1. WASH WALLS, BASEBOARDS AND OUTLETS
Spring is also a great time to wash all the walls, baseboards and electrical outlet covers in your home. Scrub them all with a sponge or brush and some mild soap and water. Make sure that you remove all the outlet covers from the wall before washing them and let them completely dry out before replacing them. Pro tip: stay away from using a dry eraser on your walls, especially if you have eggshell finish paint. Dry erasers can take off some of the paint finish and you’ll be left with unpleasant marks on your walls.
2. CLEAN YOUR GUTTERS
The fall and winter months can cause a lot of build up and debris in your gutters so now is a great time to grab a ladder and assess the damage. We recommend putting on a pair of gloves and removing any gunk with your hands. Next, remove the rest with a garden hose. Take off the hose nozzle and have someone help you turn on the water when you’re ready. Pro tip: make sure your downspouts channel water at least five feet from your foundation walls.
3. CLEAN FAUCETS AND SHOWER-HEADS
Unscrew the faucet aerators, sink sprayers and shower-heads, and soak them in equal parts vinegar and water solution. Let them soak for an hour, then rinse with warm water.
4. CLEAN OUT THE DRYER VENT
A clogged dryer vent can be a fire hazard. Not to mention, it can leave a bunch of unwanted lint on the exterior of your home and property. To clean it, disconnect the vent from the back of the machine and use a dryer vent brush to remove lint. Outside your house, remove the dryer vent cover and use the brush to remove lint from the other end of the vent line. Make sure the vent cover flap moves freely.
5. REPLACE FILTERS
Now is a great time to replace all of the filters you have in your home, including water, range hood and air vent filters. As a rule of thumb, you should replace these filters every 3-6 months depending on the filter type.
6. WASH THE EXTERIOR OF YOUR WINDOWS
It’s time to clean all your outdoor windows. If you have a two or three story home, we recommend hiring a professional company to take care of this for you.
7. PREPARE YOUR GARDEN
Thinking of growing your own vegetables or installing a beautiful flower bed? Spring is the best time to prepare your soil so that you can grow a lush garden that will sustain itself throughout the summer months. If you’re not sure where to start, read up on soil science first.
8. TEST SMOKE ALARMS
It is extremely important to test your smoke alarms and CO detectors, and change out batteries as needed. It's cheap, only takes a few minutes and can save your family's lives.
9. CLEAN YOUR BBQ GRILL
It might seem a bit daunting but if you want to preserve your grill for years to come, you’ll want to give it a spring cleaning. If you have a propane grill, take it apart and give it a good scrub and inspection. Clean the briquettes and check the burners and cooking grills for any rust spots. If there is a bit of rust, scrape it off. If there’s substantial rust, it’s time to shop for replacement parts or a new grill. Baked on food covering your grill? You can use an oven cleaner and a hose to wash away the mess.
10. CLEAN YOUR OUTDOOR FURNITURE
Spring is the best time to clean the cushions, plastic, resin or canvas on your patio set. Check out this article for detailed instructions and recipes for how to best preserve your outdoor furniture.