Essential Summer Maintenance For The Home (Inside & Out)
Summertime is all about relaxing out of doors and making the most of the bright sunshine and warm weather. However, before you can truly kick back and relax there are some important home maintenance tasks to be done, both inside and outside of the home. Read on to find out what they are.
Indoor
Keep things cool indoors!
In the US, summers are hot and that is great news for most of us that love the heat and spending more time out of doors. However, it is worth remembering that we can’t spend every second outside, as there are still tasks that need to be completed inside no matter how warm the weather.
What that means is we need to ensure it is just as comfortable inside our home, despite the hot weather. Therefore, before summer properly hits, checking your AC is a must. Indeed, many people book AC maintenance for the very beginning of the summer season and even the spring so they know that no matter how high the temperature rises, they will have a cool oasis they can retreat to inside.
Get ahead for the coming seasons!
When is the best time to have the doors and windows taken out of your home, and replaced? Usually the summer so you don’t run this risk of rain and wind being too much of a problem. You may even get a slot easier for the summer months, because most people start to think about window replacements in the autumn as winter approaches.
Of course, when choosing your window replacement provider you will want to pick someone that handles the whole process from beginning to end. Luckily, there are plenty of firms like the one you will find here, that offer this service. Something that guarantees you will have a hassle-free experience and will ensure your new windows are installed way before any bad weather is due to hit.
Stop the march of the bugs and other pests!
One of the biggest problems in summer is that flies, mosquitos, nats, and ants can much more easily find their way into your home. Unfortunately, there are some serious hygiene and health risks associated with this not to mention the inconvenience involved. Not to mention the issue that other pests such as rodents can cause in the warm weather!
That is why another essential summer maintenance task is to do all you can to prevent bugs and vermin of all kinds from being able to enter your home. One of the best ways to do this is to make sure that you store your food and properly dispose of any food waste. The reason being that many pests will be attracted to this as a food source for themselves. This means putting away cooking ingredients and storing them in glass jars that cannot be easily influenced by bugs or rodents.
Additionally keeping your garbage bins, cleaned, regularly emptied, and away from the home is a smart idea as this can put some valuable distance between your home and any unwanted guests.
Outdoor
Prepare your BBQ for some serious grilling!
Once the summer season is in full swing you will likely be using your BBQ almost daily. With that in mind, taking some time out to provide your grill a little TLC is a very wise idea.
Of course, the type of grill you have will make a difference to how you will need to care for it. For example, if your grill runs on gas, you will need to make sure your drip trays are emptied and cleaned, and that you wipe down the outside with water and dish detergent. To clean the grill itself, firing it up and running on full heat for around half an hour is best. Then allow the grill to fully cool and brush down to get ready for the coming season.
Alternatively, if you have a charcoal grill, you may need to work a little harder to make sure it is all stick and span for the summer. Indeed, you will likely need to scrub the grill pretty thoroughly. Although there are now BBQ cleaners that come with self-contained bags. Just pop your grill in there and leave for the allotted time. Make sure you thoroughly rinse your grill if you do use a product like this though, and also give your BBQ some time to completely dry before using it again.
Check your deck, before you wreck your deck!
Once you have your grill sorted, you will want to turn your attention to your deck. After all, that is the place most of us pick to grill, and also to host our yard furniture and outdoor seating area.
First of all, you will need to complete any basic maintenance tasks such as checking for loose or rotting boards and then replacing them. Watch out for trip hazards like warped wood and protruding nails as well, as they often prove problematic, especially after a few glasses of wine!
The next thing you need to consider is whether your deck is still waterproof. The problem here is that if it no longer is, you are encouraging rotting, decay, and will be setting yourself up for costly repairs and replacement in the future. With that in mind, if water no longer pools on your deck, but soaks in, it’s time to add some more layers of sealant.
Clean the pool!
Whether you have an inground pool, an above ground pool, or a more temporary option, you will want to be able to use it to its full capacity once the sun begins to shine. That is why it is important to take some time to give it a thorough clean at the beginning of the summer season.
Be sure to check for mold and broken or cracked tiles during this task. Also, be sure to check, clean and where needed replace the filters in your pool. After all, if you and your family will be spending plenty of time in the water in the hotter months, you will want it to be as clean and safe as possible.
