It’s time to shake off the winter blues and get active again. Spring has finally sprung! You can feel it in the air and see it on the thermostat. As the weather is improving and the air is turning from cold to warm, now is the perfect time to spring clean the outside of your home.
You’ve tackled all the major spring cleaning tasks for the inside of your home. Now it’s time to get outside and spruce up your outdoor space too.
Gutters
Inspect gutters and remove any debris left over from fall. If you find any leaks, repair them with gutter sealant from inside the gutter.
Garage Door
This is one of the most overlooked outdoor cleaning areas in your home. Your garage door can get filthy and should be washed once a year in the spring. All you need to do is fill a bucket with Dawn Dish Detergent and water and wash the door with a rag or sponge. Rinse with your hose or power washer making sure to clean the trim as well.
Be careful not to use too much pressure as you can do damage to brick, concrete, and other surfaces.
Windows
After a season of rain and snow, the windows on your house look dingy and nasty. You want to be able to look out your windows and see the beauty of spring and summer, not be dodging water spots and streaks.
If you have tilt in windows, you can use the Palmolive or Dawn Dish Detergent and water. If not, consider renting a steam machine from your local home improvement store to clean your exterior windows. You’ll be amazed at what an excellent job a steam machine will do at removing months worth of dirt and grime.
Cobwebs
During the winter, no one is standing around outside inspecting their home. Instead, they run as fast as they can into the warmth of their house. But while you were running, spiders were building webs and homes of their own. A useful tool to rid yourself of webs is a Poly-Fiber Duster with a telescopic pole.
Just walk around the outside of your home grabbing the webs. To clean the duster, just roll it in the grass to remove the debris. This super easy and straightforward task will make your home look more inviting.
Garbage Cans
If your trash man is anything like mine, he leaves some trash behind with each collection. Now, there’s a disgusting mess at the bottom of the cans. Here’s what you’ll do to get your cans smelling and looking clean.
All you need to do is to make sure you get all trash out of the cans then pour some dish soap into each can, lie it on its side and use a pressure washer to wash them out.
After they are clean, use some household disinfectant like a PineSol, Mr. Clean or whatever your favorite product might be to get them smelling great.
Siding
Pressure wash the siding of your home to remove grime. Be sure to start at the highest points of your home to avoid washing dirt down onto clean areas. If you plan on pressure washing your siding, do so BEFORE you wash the exterior windows, or you’ll just ruin what you did.
Deck
If you have a wood deck, inspect the wood for signs of rot or decay and make repairs as necessary. Sweep first, then scrub the wood with oxalic acid to kill microbes and restain the deck if needed. For composite decks, power wash to remove dirt, debris, and stains. For a concrete patio, check for chips or cracks that need repair, and scrub away any stains.
Grill
I wish I could bring myself to do this task before I put my grill away for the winter, but without fail, I have to do this task each spring. Take apart your grill and clean thoroughly. Wash the grates using a wire brush and a degreasing agent. Remove old drip pans and replace with new ones if disposable. If not, remove and scrap debris out of the pan, clean and replace.
If the outside of the grill needs painting, prepare it first by lightly sanding the surface and washing it thoroughly to remove all grease. Once it’s totally dry, coat it with a high heat spray paint (often called barbecue and stove enamel).
If you use the wrong paint, you’ll ruin your grill.
Lawn Furniture
When your guests arrive, you’ll want to make sure they have a clean place to sit and relax. Cleaning your patio furniture is the last thing we need to do to have the outside of your home fully prepared for spring!
Depending on the type of patio furniture you own will depend on how you clean it. Most common types involve cleaning the cushions by vacuuming them, spray the patio furniture with the soap and water mixture and then wipe it with a clean rag, removing dust, pollen, etc.
Planters/Flower Pots
Use a brush and some Dawn Detergent to clean inside and out of all planters and flower pots. You can also use a Mr. Clean sponge on plastic planters to remove dirt and debris – works great.
We’ve done a lot of cleaning but now your home is ready for spring and a season of outdoor parties!
