How to get your home and yard ready for spring

Spring has finally sprung and with warmer weather arriving (fingers-crossed it stays), there are some home maintenance, cleaning and yardwork tasks that have waited all winter to be taken care of.

IN THE HOME

• Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: you should be testing your alarms and detectors regularly, and changing the batteries at least twice a year. Don’t wait for an emergency to find out if everything is working properly.
• Check the basement for water: with the spring thaw comes the opportunity for water damage if you’ve got cracks or foundation issues. Get into your basement and look for any signs of water damage or leaks, and get those repaired right away.
• Wash windows and screens: you’ll need to wait until the weather is warmer for this one, as you’ll want to take out the screens and wash all the windows in your home. Get them from the outside too if you can!

OUTSIDE THE HOME

• Check your patios and decks: look at the exterior of your home to see if there’s any repairs or maintenance work needed on your patios or decks. Check for things like loose nails or boards, chipped paint or uneven floors.
• Check the downspouts and gutters: with rain season nearing, you want to ensure water can flow easily from your roof and away from your home and basement. Make sure you check that your gutters are clear and that your downspout is down and facing away from your home and towards a point of exit like a storm drain.

IN THE YARD

• Clean the yard: before you can start refreshing and renew your yard, you’ll need to cleanse it of everything leftover from the last two seasons. Start by raking and weeding your yard, so you can deal with the grass underneath.
• Clean up the garden bed: there’s likely a lot of leftover stuff from winter in your garden bed, things like leaves and other materials should be cleaned out before you deal with soil.
• Soil: chances are, areas of your garden and yard will need to have new soil put in, or you may even need to replace full sections of grass. Start with the soil, and be sure to always mix in fertilizer and then use a roller or similar yard tool to flatten and even the area.
• Seed: plant your seeds when the ground is warm enough: plants, flowers, vegetables or herbs—the earlier you seed, the earlier they are ready.

What is one of the first tasks you tackle in spring? Share it with us on social media!