Seasonal Maintenance

SPRING

A fresh beginning to the year. Cleaning out the old and bringing in the new.

Windows

Tools: Vinegar & water mixture in spray bottle, newspaper print
Description: Spray down window and wipe clean with newspaper. Newspaper leaves no lint and gives a streak free shine.
Tip: When wiping down the window, wipe horizontally on the inside of the window and vertically on the outside. That way you can tell if you’ve missed anything and on which side of the window it is.

Closets

Tools: Clear storage tubs
Description Store those items that you won’t be wearing this season in tubs. Mark the tubs with contents for easy retrieval next season. Clear out those clothes that you haven’t worn in a year and make room for those favorite items in your wardrobe. Remember charities when you are discarding those clothing items.
Tip: A tidy closet keeps things laundry fresh and orderly. A cramped closet can make that just ironed shirt look wrinkled and haggard in just a couple days. Color coordinating your clothes can make it easier to find things.

Air Conditioner

Tools: Hose, air filter
Description: Hose off leaves and debris that collect through the fall and winter. Keep the grill area clear for good air circulation. Have your air conditioner checked annually by a reputable service company.
Remember to change your air filter monthly. A clogged filter will decrease the function of the unit. It can also cause damage to the unit if run for a long period of time with a clogged filter. Keeping your a/c working in tip top condition can save you energy dollars throughout the season.
Tip: Buy a case of filters at a time. It not only is cheaper, but you will always have one on hand. When you get the case, open and label each filter with the date you should replace it. This way you will always know when the last time was you changed it.

Gardens

Tools: Hoe, rake, lawn bags, shovel, mulch
Description: Loosen the soil with hoe and stiff rake. Remove any old plantings from the previous season. Set out your new plantings. Step back and get a feeling for the area to be landscaped. It’s much easier to move the plants around before they’re planted.
Don’t forget a healthy helping of mulch. There are a variety of types, so check what will work best for your application. Skimping on the mulch will allow weeds and unwanted vegetation to come through and distract from your beautiful garden.
Tip: Be careful with the tender new vegetation poking through. Marking your garden with stakes can help you to remember what is planted season to season and their care. This is especially helpful with perennial plants.

Metal Rusting

Tools: Sandpaper, sanding tape, flexible sanding sponges, steel wool, nylon scouring pads, primer and paint specifically made for metal.
Description: Use any of the tools to remove rust on metal siding, downspouts, furniture, tools, etc. Be sure all residue and grit are removed before finishing with paint. Use a high quality primer and paint. Oil bases offer greater abrasion and weather resistance.
Tip: When priming and painting items of high heat, such as grills, fireplaces, wood stoves, etc., use a high-heat enamel paint specifically designed for use with items that are ‘too hot to touch.’

Decks

Tools: Power washer or stiff bristle broom, detergent, stain
Description: Make sure deck and railings are thoroughly clean and dry before attempting to stain or seal the wood. After cleaning with power washer or scrubbing with a stiff bristle broom and detergent mixture, check for any areas in need of sanding. Replace loose nails with ones of the next larger size. Countersink nail heads. Screw down any loose screws. Putty all nail holes and other holes with a high-quality, exterior-grade putty. During application be sure to remove all excess putty.
Use a stain designed specifically for decks. Stains designed for use on vertical surfaces, such as siding, are not as abrasion resistant as those made for decks. Deck stains are made to resist scuffing where lots of traffic is expected. Be careful as excessive amounts of oil can puddle and puddle oil doesn’t dry. Puddling scuffs easily and can stick to furniture, feet and shoes. This can mean the destruction of interior floors.
Tip: Apply an oil or oil-stain finish either early or late in the day when the wood is not in the full sun. The thinner that helps the oil penetrate, evaporates too quickly on hot days. The oil can end up laying on the surface. Help to force the oil or oil-stain into the surface by going back over the entire area with a paintbrush or roller.

Lawn care

Tools: Grass seed, spreader, fertilizer, aerator (rent from your neighborhood garden store)
Description: Seeding bare areas and thickening your lawn can be best achieved through aerating the lawn first. This allows the seeds to get down into the ground and not just sit on top. Pick grass seed for the area you’re working in. Shade vs sun take different types of grass.
Tip: Seeding in the early spring allows the grass to take root, grow and mature before the heat of summer comes.

SUMMER & FALL

Lawn care

Tools: Lawn mower, rake, sprinkler
Description: Mow your lawn often enough that you only cut an inch off the top of the grass shaft. Rake up the clippings, use a bagger or a self mulching lawn mower. Grass clippings can choke out your lawn and leave dead spots. Be sure to water often during the summer. Remember to water in the early morning. This allows the water soak into the ground and not evaporate in the heat of the day. Watering during the sunniest part of the day can also cause the grass to burn. Watering at night can encourage mold in your lawn.
Tip: Install an inexpensive timer on your water spigot to water your lawn on a schedule. These an be found at your local hardware or garden store.

Cleaning Gutters

Tools: Extension ladder, small hand shovel, hose, bucket
Description: Carefully extend the ladder to the lowest section of your roof. Tie the ladder off to eliminate the possibility of it falling. Use the shovel to scoop out the debris that collects in the gutters, i.e., dirt, leaves and flowers from trees, etc. Once you get the bulk of the debris from the gutters, flush them out with water from the hose.
Depending on your landscaping, this chore may need to be done again in the fall after the trees have lost their leaves. This will eliminate the possibility of ice forming in a full gutter thus causing damage to your shingles or backing up, melting and possibly leaking into your home.
Tip: Do this chore after the trees in your yard have lost their flowers from the spring.

Roof Leaks

Tools: Extension ladder, hose, flashlight, buddy
Description: The first step in repairing a leak is finding its point of origin. Use the hose to run a modest amount of water over the roof at a point below the area where a leak is suspected. Start from the lowest point of the roof and work your way up. Have a buddy inside the attic with a flashlight to find the leaking area.
Tip: An inexpensive pair of kid’s walkie-talkies makes communication between the roof and attic easier.
Working from the bottom of the roof to the top keeps the water in front of you and thus makes it less likely to slip and fall.

Siding

Tools: Power washer, laundry detergent
Description: Mix the laundry detergent in water until dissolved. Put in power washer. Start at the bottom of the siding and work your way up. For vinyl and aluminum siding, washing the siding will keep your house looking spic and span for years to come.
Tip: Aluminum siding becomes chalky looking with time. Although there is no preventing this, regular washing can make light work of getting it to disappear.

Screen – Cleaning

Tools: Soft nylon brush, water
Description: Lay screen on flat, smooth, cloth-covered surface, such as an old sheet on a picnic table. Scrub them gently with brush and rinse with a hose. Shake off excess water.
Tip: Keep screens clean in order to get a good exchange of air. Grit and grime can also hasten deterioration, thereby diminishing the life of a window screen.

Screen – Repairing

Tools: Clear nail polish, silicone adhesive, patch kits
Description: Apply a small amount of clear nail polish to a small hole or tear in a vinyl or fiberglass screen.
Small tears in metal or fiberglass screens can be mended with a dab of clear silicone adhesive. If necessary, dab it on in successive layers until the tear is completely filled.
For larger holes or tears, use a patch kit available in hardware stores.
Tip: Keep screens in shape to get their full benefit without the invitation of bugs and pests into your home.

WINTER

Air Leaks

Tools: Polyurethane spray foam or polyurethane caulk
Description: In areas that may be leaking air into your home i.e., electrical outlets, piping, use a small amount of the spray foam. Use between the outlet box and the wall, or around the plumbing or electrical piping where it goes through the wall. The foam will expand and fill in the gaps. The spray foam works well for larger gaps, where the caulk is still good for narrow cracks.
Tip: Read the manufacturer’s label before making your purchase of caulk, as different caulks respond differently to different surfaces, i.e., glass, wood, metal, or plastic.

Window Leaks

Tools: High-grade polyurethane caulk, weather stripping
Description: Windows tend to leak as a result from a breakdown in the connection between the frame of the window and the exterior frame of the house. To prevent leaks, the window should be caulked where its frame meets the exterior siding.
If weather stripping needs to be replaced, you may need to remove the operable part of the window to find it. You may need an adhesive solvent to ‘unstick’ the old weatherstripping.
Tip: Keeping air leaks to a minimum will help your heating and cooling bills as well as making your home draft free.

SPECIAL MAINTENANCE TASKS & TIPS

Removing Clothes Dryer Lint

Tools: Circular lint brush
Description: Dryer lint is a big fire hazard. In addition, excess lint makes the dryer work extra hard and can take forever to dry a load of clothes. A stiff bristle circular brush is attached to a flexible handle. Move the brush back and forth inside the duct to dislodge the lint. The brush along with a vacuum cleaner is a good combination.
Tip: For excessively long (20 feet or more) dryer vents, make a vent cleaning tool by fishing a nylon line from outside to the vent hose mounting inside. Tie a nylon brush (one that is big enough to brush the vent walls) to the line which can then be drawn up into the vent, leaving enough line on the other end to draw it back again.

Clean Faucet Aerator

Tools: Old toothbrush or toothpick, vinegar
Description: If the water flows from your faucet slowly, or the water sprays out in random streams, or if a once smooth flow has become sporadic and now sputters, then you probably have a clogged aerator. Unscrew the aerator from the spout by turning it counterclockwise. Disassemble the parts; they simply sit one atop another inside the aerator housing. Use the toothbrush or toothpick and some vinegar to clean each part. Reassemble the aerator and reinstall it.
Tip: If there are lime deposits, soak the pieces in vinegar overnight and brush clean the next morning. Be sure to reassemble exactly or the aerator will not work properly.

Dishwashers

Run dishwasher at least once a week to keep seals moist and to prevent leaks and eventual failure caused by seals drying.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Replace smoke detectors if they are over 10 years old. Replace batteries semi-annually. When changing from daylight savings time and back again, are good times to change your batteries.

Termites

Have your home inspected for termites or other structural pests at least once annually.

Septic Tanks

Have a professional check your septic tank at least once annually and drain as necessary.

Recipes

Window Washing: 2/1 mix water and vinegar, wipe down with newspaper or lint free cloth (cloth baby diapers are great).
Deck and Roof Washing: 1/2 cup liquid chlorine bleach, 1 cup powdered laundry detergent, 1 gallon hot water. Mix until detergent is dissolved.

Gutters (new)

Tools: Extension ladder, hose, bucket, small hand trowel
Description: Extend ladder to lowest point of roof line. Put

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