4 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Summer

Winter has slowly turned to spring, and now the April showers are bringing May flowers, which can only mean one thing—summer is right around the corner. Even though spring-cleaning is the popular term, there are plenty of cleaning and non-cleaning ways to prepare your home for summer. Check out the list below to get a few ideas.

• Perform general cleaning on your interior. Start with the larger rooms and perform your normal cleaning routines. Dust your rails and window casings, launder your fabric, vacuum the floor, and rent a carper cleaner. Also, spend a little extra time in your kitchen, as grease buildup tends to happen.
• Prepare your deck or patio. When summer comes around, so does barbecue season. Your deck or patio is the perfect place for those summer get-togethers with friends and family. Before you invite the neighborhood over, be sure to do a thorough sweep of your deck or patio to remove any debris that has accumulated. Also, if your deck is wood, you may want to consider cleaning, staining, and resealing it. Finally, hose down your deck for a final cleaning.
• Clean your grill. This is another must do before hosting your friends and family for burgers and brats—a Sheboygan favorite. Make sure your grill is turned off before cleaning, and then remove the grates and plates and place them in a bucket of hot water mixed with dish soap. Use the grill brush to scrub the inside walls to remove any ash and debris. After replacing the grates and plates, check your burner jets for obstacles and make sure the gas hoses are sound and secure.
• Ensure the air conditioner is working properly. As the summer days get hotter, you may find you need to turn on your air conditioning to keep cool. Check your filter and change it if necessary. Also, check hose connections for leaks and make sure the drain pans are draining freely. If you think there are any major problems, call in a professional to check it out.

In addition to these items, don’t forget to do a walk-around of your property to check your windows, walls, foundations, gutters, and decks. You could even make this an annual routine when the temperatures start to rise.

Preparing your home for summer doesn’t need to be a huge ordeal—just pick a weekend and plan what you are going to accomplish. Even doing a little can go a long way.