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If it were a matter of choice, very few homeowners would volunteer to spend a whole weekend doing exterior summer maintenance in their homes. However, if your home is your greatest investment, as it’s the case for most Americans, undertaking maintenance is mandatory.
Often, undertaking a home maintenance project can feel like an overwhelming task, especially if you’re a new homeowner who has never performed any home maintenance in the past. Nevertheless, it doesn’t have to be daunting.
Here’s a detailed home exterior summer maintenance checklist that can simplify the process:
1. Carry Out Landscaping Maintenance
Performing regular summer lawn maintenance can make your home the envy of your neighborhood and keep off troublesome insects. Additionally, bigger landscaping projects, including tree trimming, can safeguard your home against damage during summer storms. Moreover, ensure you thoroughly examine each section in your lawn and outdoor space to ensure it’s in perfect shape and appearance.
2. Power Wash Your Home’s Sidewalks and Driveway
The perfect place to begin exterior summer home maintenance is to rigorously examine and wash your driveway, deck, sidewalks, and patio. The secret to successfully undertaking maintenance in these areas is to use a powerful pressure washer.
However, before you begin power washing, it’s advisable to inspect these sections for any weeds and cracks. Then, cut off any weeds before power washing mold, dirt, and grime accumulated throughout the past year.
3. Clean Your Home’s Gutters
Gutters are useful in controlling the flow of rainwater and safeguarding your home’s foundation, roof, and siding. Blocked gutters can lead to serious and costly damage, including rainwater infiltration into your house or a leaking roof. If you live in the area, consider contacting a roof repair company in Austin to undertake this particular exterior summer maintenance at least twice yearly.
If you decide to clean the gutters, ensure you take care while on the ladder. In 2015 over 630,000 Americans required medical attention after suffering ladder-related injuries, notes the American Academy of Orthopedics.
4. Paint Your Home’s Exterior
Applying exterior paint makes your home attractive and protects your shingles against water damage and rot. Inspect your home for any chipping paint or peeling signs and decide if it requires a new paint coat or a touch-up.
5. Prepare Your Grill for Summer Backyard BBQs
Summer is the best moment to enjoy outdoor fun activities with family and friends. That means you must clean and test your outdoor grill to ensure it’s in perfect shape for hot dog and hamburger season. If yours is a charcoal grill, take a bucket full of hot soapy water and clean using a sponge. For a gas grill, you’ll have to heat it for half an hour before scrubbing its grates using a grill brush.
Inspect its hoses for cracks, blockages, and holes to guarantee proper grill safety. Moreover, remember to strategically position your grill at least 10 feet away from any railings, flammable items, or structures.
6. Prepare the Swimming Pool for Summer
If there’s a swimming pool in your home, you must prepare it for summer. Doing so will enable you, your family, and your friends to have a great time cooling off in your swimming pool in summer. You’ll need to treat the water in your pool and inspect all the equipment, including the filters and valves. If these components aren’t working properly, ensure you hire a pool service technician to repair or change them.
7. Thoroughly Clean the Exhaust Duct and Dryer Vent
During summer, everything becomes dry, including the leaves and debris accumulating in your dryer vent and exhaust duct. Therefore, if you fail to undertake the necessary maintenance, clogged leaves, debris, and dust in your dryer vents may cause a house fire. You definitely wouldn’t like that to happen. Therefore, create time and undertake the necessary cleaning to clear any dust, tree leaves, and debris from your dryer vents.
8. Service Your Home’s Air Conditioning
It’ll be heartbreaking for you to come home on a sunny summer day only to find your air conditioning system is broken. Besides causing a major inconvenience and costly repairs, it can be life-threatening if you stay in an extremely hot region. Therefore, engage your A/C repair company to inspect the system and undertake any necessary maintenance.
Conclusion
Overall, you can leverage this home exterior summer maintenance checklist to ensure you prepare all parts of your home for the summer activities. Doing so will allow you to enjoy summer, knowing that your home is safe and protected from the elements and won’t cause any harm to you and your family.
