Spring is just around the corner! And forget the groundhog, when we saw this weekend’s weather forecast, we bumped up this blog post by a couple weeks to help you get a head start on your spring cleaning projects to help keep your home looking its best for spring’s arrival soon. While you know what your home needs better than we do, here’s a quick checklist for all you weekend warriors wanting to take advantage of the gorgeous weather to knock some things off your honey-do list (so you can enjoy a little more March Madness in a few weeks!).
– From Omaha to Lincoln to Grand Island, this is a great time to get your home ready for spring! –
- Dust off the cobwebs that form under your eaves — especially next to the garage and front door, where guests tend to be the most often. Use a telescoping duster to reach tough areas, or even wrap a towel around a broom for a quick DIY duster.
- Clean up your front porch or front door entry area. Wash the light fixture and wipe down the bulb, sweep outside the door, and clean the front door (and storm door) with a solution of water and dish soap. Finally, hose down the stoop and the walkway leading to it. Having a clean entry area will look more welcoming to guests, and keep your home free of gunk tracked in from your entryway.
- Use a pressure washer to wash off your siding, garage door, driveway and deck. If you don’t have a pressure washer, borrow one from a friend, or check hardware stores and home improvement stores for rentals — these are often quite affordable for a day or two. Just make sure you read all the instructions and use the correct pressure settings for each area you clean.
- Wash the outside of your windows, either with a steam cleaner or your window solution of choice (a 50-50 mix of white vinegar and water works GREAT and is non-toxic). Use crumpled up newspaper instead of a cloth to wipe streaks away, and toss it in the recycling when you’re done!
- Wash out your trash can, with a hose or pressure washer. Drizzle in some dish soap before you wash them to help keep them clean and smelling fresh.
- Gently rake your yard to remove dead grass, and perk up the dormant blades just waiting for the sun.
- Clean out your gutters and downspouts. Most people think of this as a fall task (and it is!), but a lot of trees drop even more leaves and twigs over the winter too, and you definitely want to start the spring rainy season with clear gutters. Wear heavy rubber gloves to protect your hands, and use a pocketful of plastic grocery bags for easy debris disposal (without it getting too big and heavy). While you’re there, also check for holes, corrosion, sagging sections, and damaged fasteners, as well as how tightly the gutters are held to the fascia boards. You might even consider having us come out to give you an estimate for installing gutter guards for easy gutter maintenance.
Just tackling a few tasks — or this whole checklist — can help keep your home clean and looking great. With a gorgeous weekend on the horizon, start your planning now to get outside, get to work, and enjoy a spring day next month knowing you were a champ who got it all done ahead of time!