Home Improvement | Outdoor Maintenance and Spring Cleaning

by Rachel Laurendeau on March 20, 2012

With the appearance of Spring in some parts of the country and it?s arrival being imminent for the rest of us, a number of our blogs over the next month will be dedicated to home improvement projects that are best tackled early in the season.

The first thing we are inclined to do as the weather warms is to get outside. Why not take advantage of the beautiful weather and your desire for fresh air by doing some basic outdoor Spring cleaning and maintenance? Once it?s done, you?ll feel great and be ready to tackle more home improvement projects or host your first outdoor cookout of the season.

Here is a checklist to help you with your outdoor maintenance and Spring cleaning as you prepare to tackle them. Realistically, you?ll have to set aside more than one weekend if you want to get take on all of these maintenance and home improvements since some of them are quite involved. Don?t forget, you may need to contact a local expert for help with some of these tasks if you aren?t equipped to take them on alone, for example, you can easily clean your own windows, but you?ll need a roofer or general contractor if you find problems with your roof.

Up High

• Clean gutters and downspouts
• Add downspout extensions
• Take down Christmas lights
• Clean and inspect light fixtures, check for damaged wires or connections
• Check roof for repairs that may be needed. Contact a general contractor if you see any problems that need attention.
• Prune all vegetation away from house and roof
• Check siding

Washing Up

• Turn on outside water supply, and attach the hose and nozzle
• Hose down or power-wash exterior of the house, don?t forget the front door and mailbox (Power washers can be purchased or rented from many hardware stores.)
• Wash windows and tracks. If you notice warps, cracks or leaks in your windows, it?s time to call in the home improvement experts.
• Vaccuum window screens or wash them in warm soapy water; check for holes that may need patching up
• Paint and caulk trim and window casings as needed ? tend to any other paint that may be flaking; it should be scraped and repainted
• Sweep, hose down or power wash driveway and sidewalks
• Clean out shed or garage and get organized. Sweep and wash the floors, put away the shovels and bring out the rakes and lawnmower. Many organizing and storage solutions are available for your outdoor needs.
• Clean decks and porches

There?s a lot to do, so setting up a realistic schedule and enlisting expert help will keep you on track with your Spring outdoor maintenance.

Do you have other suggestions for Spring home improvement projects? We?d love to hear about them.

Tagged as: Carmel, Carmel Indiana, Cicero, cleaning, Fishers, Fishers Indiana, Home Improvement, home improvements, Indiana, Lawrence, Meridian-Kessler, Noblesville, Noblesville Indiana, Nora, outdoor maintenance, spring cleaning, vaccuuming, Westfield, Zionsville, Zionsville Indiana

Source: http://www.my-home-improvement.com/2012/03/20/outdoor-maintenance-and-spring-cleaning/

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