Top 10 Spring Maintenance Tips

Keep Your Home in Top Shape

Now that winter is behind us, it's time to prep your house and yard for warmer weather. These simple maintenance tips will save you time and money down the road, and make sailing into summer a breeze.

    Sump Pump: Before spring showers start, it's a good idea to inspect, test and repair the sump pump. Clean out any debris that might be in the pit. Make sure the float is free and clear and won't get lodged against pipes or the wall of the pit. Test the backup pump as well if you have one installed.

    Gutters and Downspouts: Make sure the gutters and downspouts are clean and running freely. Reconnect any dislodged downspout extenders. Downspouts should discharge at least 6 feet from the house to help ensure all that spring rain water doesn't make its way into the basement or crawlspace.

    Windows: Take a walk around the house and check all the exterior windows for loose or cracked caulking. Repair any damaged areas. Paint peeling from wood windows and frames should be scraped off and the windows or frames repainted to reduce damage caused by exposure to the sun and weather. Remove storm windows and store for fall.

    Roof: From the ground, check the roof for any missing or damaged shingles. Use binoculars for a better look, if you have a pair. Check the eaves of the house where ice dams may have caused some damage. Check for any loose flashings around chimneys or where the roof intersects with another roof or wall. Ensure that roof vents and flanges around stacks are still well secured to the roof.

    Air Conditioner: Uncover and inspect the air conditioner for any obvious damage. With the power off, carefully brush out any debris from the fins. Gently hose down the unit from top to bottom. Straighten any bend fins with a tool called a fin comb. Clean the area around the unit and ensure shrubs are cut back to allow for good air flow to ensure maximum efficiency when needed. Check the insulation on the refrigerant line between the house and the air conditioner; replace it if its in bad shape or missing. Replace or clean the filter. Remember not to turn on the air conditioner until the weather gets warmer or you run the risk of damaging the unit.

    Vents: The cold winter weather can do a lot of damage to your dryer vent and bathroom / kitchen fan vents on the outside of your home. Breeding season for birds starts early, and any opening is a potential nesting site. Replace any broken or missing parts to deter birds and other unwanted critters from setting up house or sneaking into your living space.

    Hose Bibbs: Turn on the water to your outdoor taps and check the lines for any leaks that could have developed due to the freezing weather. Check that your hoses are still in good shape and not bulging. Replace any worn washers.

    Trees: Now before the leaves grow out, you can easily see where tree branches may interfere with power lines, or TV and telephone cables. Branches over-hanging the roof of your house can also cause significant damage to shingles. Snow and ice storms can weaken branches causing them to bend and break. Pruning injured limbs helps the tree to heal. Due to the danger of working near power lines or at heights, consider hiring a professional to do this job.

    Pathways: Repair any damage to pathways that may have been caused by winter erosion or heaving. Loose flagstone or pavers can be a trip hazard. Better to fix these now before one of your guests takes a tumble. Fill depleted joints between pavers with new sand, hose them down and repeat as needed. For pavers or stones that have heaved out of place, add some new base material before resetting. Consider adding steppable ground cover plants between flagstones for a softer look. And the plants help to keep the stones in place.

    Fence: Repair or replace any broken boards. Sunlight can degrade the lignin that bonds wood fibres, allowing water to penetrate the wood and turning the surface to grey. A semi-transparent stain with UV blockers can halt damage and give pressure-treated pine a warm tone that mimics pricey hardwood or cedar-Howard Walsh

Read More

Top 10 bathroom Spring Cleaning Tips

Like migratory bird patterns, humans find the changing of the seasons to be a time when our thoughts turn to spring cleaning. What seasonal patterns have to do with keeping our homes clean is a mystery, but it continues to be a factor nonetheless. It's almost as if we only recognize the dirt, dust, clutter and debris only at certain times of the year.

After seeing my brother-in-law's home however, I'm grateful for any reason, that would make him want to clean that filthy disgusting bathroom. [Smile]

The bathroom should be regularly cleaned if only to keep germs under control. There are some cleaning chores that can be done on a somewhat longer schedule than the weekly cleaning.

1. Take a look under the bathroom sink and you probably see a good collection of half used personal hygiene products. Go through each and every one of them and decide if they're worth keeping. Some products like medicated shampoos and possibly suntan lotions are good to keep handy. That green strawberry mint flavored shampoo that promised that men would go wild but only gave you a rash could probably be tossed into the garbage.

2. Take a look at how you store all the paper goods to the bathroom. Are they organized and easily snagged when needed? If not, maybe it's time to give those boxes of facial tissue and rolls of toilet paper, a place of their own.

3. Next up are the washcloths and towels. If you're like most of us, we tend never to discard old towels. We end up with a pile of towels and actually only use the first one or two. If this sounds like you, take stock in how many towels and face cloths you actually need and send the rest to the rag box.

4. If your cabinet has drawers, they're probably filled with miscellaneous hair decorations, bands, pins etc. Go through them and anything not used in the last 2 years should be thrown out.

5. Vacuum the inside of the vanity cabinet and drawers to remove hair and lose dirt. Heck, give them a good cleaning by getting one of those old washcloths damp with clear water.

6. Wash the liquid soap container or soap dish. Come on, you know that thing is disgusting, especially if you have children.

7. Use a vinegar solution or commercial product like CLR to remove bathroom scum and hard water deposits from bathtub or shower enclosures. Take down and wash any fabric shower curtains.

8. Use a 10% bleach solution in a spray bottle to remove any mold buildup in the tub area.

9. Check everything in the medicine cabinet and throw away any prescription or over-the-counter drugs that have passed their effective expiration date.

10. Replace that disgusting toilet brush with a new one.

By following through on this quick list, you will find a lot a lot less cluttered bathroom. Visit the site below for more information on how your vacuum cleaner can be used to speed up many household cleaning chores and find more quick house cleaning tips-By Abbie Frank 

Read More