From trimming vines and shrubbery to pressure washing, there are a lot of ways you can spring clean your home’s exterior.
When you spruce up the outside of your house for spring, it improves curb appeal, makes it more inviting, and you’re also creating a pleasant space to enjoy the warm weather.
If you’re overwhelmed as far as how to get started spring cleaning the outside of your house, the following tips can help.
Take a Walk
If you felt like you were in hibernation mode all winter, you might not even know what needs to be done to get your house cleaned up.
Your first step should be walking around and taking note of what condition everything is in and how things fared during the winter.
You can gather any fallen branches along the way and inspect structures for needed repairs or damage.
Take some time to assess your lawn and garden equipment too, and see if anything needs to be replaced.
Start with the Roof
Most people have asphalt shingles, and each spring, you should take some time to clean them. Even if you have a different roof material, the cleaning tips are similar.
First, start with a ladder to get up and see what’s going on with your roof after a long winter.
Look for missing or cracked shingles you might need to replace, and when everything seems secure, start to blow the leaves and debris off. Don’t use a pressure cleaning on the roof.
If your roof is in the shade or under trees, you might want to use a soft wash that will eliminate things like moss and algae.
Frequent gutter cleaning is also an important part of maintaining your home. When you have backed up downspouts and gutters, it can cause damage to the roof, siding, and soffits.
Clear out what you can with your hands, like leaves, branches, and twigs. Use the trowel or scoop to remove gunk lining the bottom of your gutters, and from there, you can use your hose to flush them out with water.
Clean Your Siding
If you have vinyl siding, which is hands-down the most popular cladding material in the country, you should include it on your spring cleaning checklist.
Again, this is a project to avoid using the pressure washer.
Instead, you should mix a solution of water and white vinegar. You might also need bleach if your siding is very dirty or has mold.
You should cover your shrubs and flowers and apply the cleaner with a pump sprayer. You can then go in with a brush that has soft bristles to loosen up any dirt.
If you start from the ground and work your way up, you’ll avoid streaks.
Wash Your Windows
Grime accumulates on the inside and outside of your windows over time.
If you’re going to clean your windows, don’t choose the sunniest day if possible. If you clean your windows when the sun is blasting down, your cleaner will dry onto your windows before you can wipe it off, and it will leave streaks. If you do clean the windows on a very sunny day, start on your home’s shady side.
You shouldn’t spray cleaner on top of dirt and dust. You should sweep the dirt away as much as you can.
Before using cleaner, wipe down the frame with a wet rag, then, you should use a window scrubber and cleaning solution.
Wipe your glass dry with a rubber squeegee. When you squeegee, hold the edge at about 30 degrees to the glass, and make a horizontal pass across your window.
Every time you make a pass, wipe your squeegee dry.
Prepping Your Outdoor Furniture for Use
Hopefully, your patio furniture has been protected all winter, which will make it easier to clean. Even if it hasn’t, you should still be able to get it in good shape.
If you don’t think your outdoor furniture looks like it needs to be cleaned, the chances are that it does. The buildup of debris and pollutants which may not even be visible can cause damage to your outdoor furnishings.
You’ll extend its lifespan with regular cleaning.
The specifics of how to spring-clean your outdoor items depend on the material.
In general, for the most commonly used outdoor materials like wicker, you’ll need a natural dish soap or detergent, a hose, and a soft-bristle brush, as well as a bucket of warm water.
If you’re cleaning teak, you might need a few more items, including some sandpaper.
Give Your Deck a Refresh
Before you host your first spring party of the season, you’ll want to clean your deck.
If you don’t consistently take care of your deck, it will develop stains and splinters, as well as mold and mildew. Wood decks contract and expand depending on the temperature, so that lets dirt and other things work their way into the wood.
Before you clean your deck, take everything off if you can.
Inspect the structural integrity of the deck, and make sure no boards need to be replaced. You can often replace just the damaged portion of a deck or hire someone to do it for you.
Then, you can sweep the debris off the deck.
You can treat stains using a solution that you buy, or you can make your own with oxygenated bleach and hot water. Let your solution sit for five minutes and use a scrub brush on the surface.
Rinse everything and let it dry.
Another option is to power wash your deck, as long as there’s no rain in the forecast for at least a week. Using a lower pressure on your deck is better, and you still need to sweep it and clean it first.
Use constant, overlapping strokes when you’re using your pressure washer, and keep enough distance between it and the surface of the deck.
If any standing water collects, you should sweep it away.
If you make it a point to keep your deck swept and debris-free throughout the year, it’ll help it stay in good condition for longer.
