Spring is a time of renewal—nature rebounds from the winter months and returns rejuvenated, ready to begin anew. A lot of folks will take inspiration from this seasonal reset and apply the same principles to their home life, utilizing the beginning of spring as motivation to complete various indoor projects. This results in everything from cleaner, tidy spaces, to completely rejuvenated or reimagined areas of a home.
Spring cleaning doesn’t need to stop at your house’s walls, though. The outside of your home, exterior doors and windows and the property that surrounds it just experienced a months-long battle against the elements, and some outdoor spring cleaning may be just what it needs to reset for the warmer months.
Why Spring Cleaning is Important
Whether you’re a business owner, property manager or working homeowner, free time probably feels like a resource that’s in short supply. You want to utilize it the right way, and cleaning or repairing things around the house or the property surrounding it may fall behind other things on that list.
However, don’t overlook the impact clean spaces that receive proper maintenance can have on your mental and physical health. Cleaner spaces mean less clutter weighing on your mind and less worry when guests visit. Proper maintenance means less chance of injury and less opportunities for small problems to balloon into large ones. This applies to outdoor spring cleaning just as well as its indoor counterpart—especially since the outside of your home is on display for all to see.
Outdoor Spring Cleaning Checklist
Cleaning inside presents a defined question. There are specific spaces within your home and they’re mostly protected from the outside elements, so the parameters of that question usually don’t change unless something really goes wrong. The mess is what it is and that’s what you’re dealing with. When the question of how do you clean outside springs to mind, though, it may initially seem like a daunting task. For the most part, things outside are outside your control, and the urgency or size of planned projects can change on a day-to-day basis. Setting a timetable and prioritizing tasks can go a long way towards turning that mountain into a molehill.
When should you start spring cleaning outside? Look at the weather forecast and choose a prolonged period when the weather breaks and conditions are ideal for outside work. Once again, it may be hard to carve out free time for outdoor spring cleaning, but try to prioritize it during favorable weather.
What should be on your spring cleaning list? Maintenance that impacts the integrity and safety of your home should take top priority, but it’s called spring cleaning for a reason, so don’t forget to work on tasks that make you feel good about the way your home greets you, your loved ones, and your visitors, too.
A New View
As spring sets in, the number of dreary days on the calendar decreases and gives way to sunlight. If you want a good view of all that greenery, you’ll want to wash your windows.
Make sure to wash both the inside and outside to completely remove smudges and debris, while screen cleaning is also a must for that truly clean feel.
Front Door
During the winter months, the elemental impact on the exterior portions of your home can be exacerbated by harsh conditions. Precautions like overhead coverings and screen doors may help your front door in its battle against the elements, but it isn’t immune from feeling winter’s bite—and it doesn’t help that front doors aren’t able to receive the added protection that other, stationary parts of the home can be equipped with.
That means a quality front door should be on your radar—one that ensures prolonged durability while keeping the harshest weather from impacting the comfort you seek inside your home. Thanks to the materials used to construct Plastpro’s fiberglass doors, they’ll stand sturdy against weather wear and tear for years to come while also adding to the environmental sustainability of your home.
Consider replacing a door that has become drafty or may be showing outward signs of wear. If you already have a fiberglass door, refresh its look by cleaning it or changing up its color with a new stain kit. Lastly, while spring cleaning is the topic at hand, there are measures you can take to make sure your door looks great year-round, whether it’s spring or not.
In addition to the door itself, you can renew your entryway with new light fixtures, new furniture or new decorations. Experiment and get creative while highlighting the strong points of your home!
Check Your Deck
That first deck hangout of the season feels great, but it’ll feel better if your deck is clean, safe and ready for what your family or visitors may throw at it.
Start by turning your attention to the deck itself, sweeping any sort of unwelcome dirt and debris that may have accumulated during the winter. Depending on the circumstances, this step may require a pressure washer. Make sure you pay attention to the state of the deck, too, as any portion that’s beginning to look unsafe should receive attention before anyone’s allowed to utilize the space.
Next, clean any furniture that may have been left out during the cold. Whether the furniture was left in the elements or is being put back onto the deck from out of storage, be sure to look it over before putting it into another full season of use.
Finally, you can refresh this space with new furniture, updated decorations, or by applying new treatment to the wood. You can also upgrade the utility of your deck by adding useful fixtures like a grill or an outdoor bar.
Clean Your Gutters
Gutters are a great tool for the safe management of rainwater and melting snow, but if they’re blocked, the runoff from your roof could go unchecked and cause issues. Winter storms are great at moving plant matter and other potential problems causing materials into your gutters, so be sure they’re clear before the rain sets in.
If you’re going to handle this yourself, be sure to have a friend or family member spot you as you climb the ladder and clear away as much material as you can. Be sure to wear gloves, too. After you’ve cleared as much as possible with your hands, use a hose with high pressure settings to clear the rest. After you’ve cleared your gutters, make sure water can flow through the complete circuit and deal with any clogs you may find.
Garages
Now that you can open your garage door without letting in below freezing temperatures and biting winds, it’s time to clear out any of the clutter that may have accumulated. Get rid of unused activity-related equipment to make room for new items that could inspire your next summer obsession, clean the floor and any cobwebs so the garage is safe and welcoming, check the integrity of your garage door, and properly clean springs with motor oil or machine oil—don’t use grease.
Gardens
You’ll probably need to remove weeds from most of your yard’s decorative aspects, but doing so in your garden is important—you only want your chosen few to thrive there and reap the benefits of your care. Scan your garden for dead annual plants and remove them, trim the poor perennials and introduce any new plants you may have come across.
Along with weeding, prune your evergreen and remove a plant’s deader bits to help it grow during the warm months ahead.
Upgrading Your Home’s Exterior Appeal with Plastpro
A new front door is a fast way to change up the entryway of your home, adding to its curb appeal and making certain that your spring begins with a positive change. Plastpro’s fiberglass doors can be matched to most home designs and fitted to most door openings while simultaneously supplying the energy efficiency, impact protection and general longevity of a fiberglass door. Find a dealer to explore your Plastpro fiberglass door options, and finish installation before summertime starts!
