Just as you prepare your home for the summer season, you also have home maintenance tasks for the end of the season. The hot summer temperatures can causes surfaces around your home to expand and crack and humidity can create mold and mildew growth.
So, you’ll want to make sure that your home is properly cleaned and prepped for incoming cooler temperatures.
Here are some items you’ll want to make sure that you check off your list:
Cleaning Out the Gutters
Summers storms and cause the vegetation that grew over the season to fall and clog your gutters, so you’ll want to clean them out so they don’t overflow or freeze up when it gets colder.
In order to properly tackle a gutter cleaning job, you’ll want to use a tool that gives you easy access and fits the height of your gutters. If you don’t want to have to do this again in the fall, make sure you trim low hanging trees that are near your gutters if possible.
Trim Creeping Vegetation
If you have a trellis, you’ll want to trim the vegetation that creeps up it before it gets out of hand and too cold to take care of. Doing this now will reduce the amount of debris you have to clean up when heavy fall rains start.
Also, the harsher weather conditions can cause the vegetation to rot and damage the wood surface of your trellis.
Clean Out Your Garbage Disposal
Humidity breeds bacteria, so you’ll want to make sure you kill anything that’s built up over the summer. Don’t forget to use garbage disposal cleaner down your drain to unclog and disinfect it.
Protect Your Patio, Deck, Porch
It’s almost time to put your patio to bed so you’ll want to make sure it’s in order before you do. Sweep and wash away any dust or debris left on your outdoor areas.
Be on the look out for any cracks, holes, or chipped paint. Leaving these to the elements can cause them to get worse over the colder months. Wood putty or stone filler can be used to repair most damaged surfaces. For painted surfaces, sand away the chipped area and repaint your surface.
Winterize Your Outdoor Furniture
Rinse off any dirt and grime off your outdoor furniture and dry it out in the sun. Check for rust, chipped paint, or cracks. If you find any, spray your furniture with outdoor paint for wood, metal or plastic. Cover your furniture with an inexpensive painter’s tarp if you’re storing the furniture outside.
Fix Your Driveway
Don’t let the winter weather destroy your driveway. Fill any cracks or holes now with cement, epoxy filler, liquid cement filler, asphalt, or concrete.
Clean Bathrooms
Scrub away any mold or mildew that accumulated in your bathroom over the summer to prevent additional growth and potential illness. It’s best to use a bleach based cleaner. After you clean your grout, let it dry and fill any cracks with more grout or a silicone sealant.
Disinfect Your Garbage Cans
Garbage cans are another place where mold, mildew, and bacteria can breed over the summer. Wipe down your garbage containers and the areas around them with antibacterial cleaner, then spray with a disinfectant.
Place a bag inside of your garbage immediately so that the disinfectant spray stays trapped in your can.
Clean or Replace Air Filters
Your air filters are also vulnerable to bacteria, mold, and mildew and you don’t want to breathe that nastiness in. Wash out all of your air filters and let them dry in the sun.
If your filters are disposable, toss out the old ones and replace them with new ones.
Vaccum Upholstery
Your furniture’s upholstery, pillows, and curtains can build up a lot of dust over the summer since it’s likely that you have your windows open and fans going. Remedy this by vacuuming pillows and upholstery with the attachments on your vacuum cleaner. Dry clean or wash these items if that’s possible.
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