Summer Maintenance Tips
Summer is what we wait for all year.
I love all the seasons, but summer is the season of savour. I sometimes feel it is the season that goes so quickly, and yet the grandest of memories are made.
We search for reasons to be outdoors, taking in the sunshine and warmth. It is also the time for chore selection. We choose our chores, house maintenance and yard work around the weather forecast, unlike other seasons of the year.
We put on hold anything that can wait till fall indoors.
Summer is a great time to catch up and address your outdoor home maintenance. Making improvements to your home allows you to enjoy living your best summer life with socializing, and given we may have more staycations happening this summer.
If you are thinking about selling soon or over the next year, getting ahead of the game and pampering your home now can go a long way to preparing it for when you are ready.
Here are my top 3 ways to freshen up your home and still taken in the warmth of summer.
Gut the Garage
Whether you use your garage for storage or your car, stuff and dirt do tend to creep in during the summer months more than ever, and we see it more because we get in there more. Cleaning out a garage top to bottom in full form is a summer maintenance job to do well. While it may seem like a daunting task, you will love doing this arduous job in the summertime.
Here are my five garage transforming steps.
Turn your driveway into a personal garage sale, pulling everything out to the grass or driveway. Everything.
Clean. And I mean thoroughly. Sweep and power wash the floor. Dust off and wipe down all the shelves. You can even take it a step further and paint the floor with a garage paint. It’s a big job but well worth it!
Purge. Purge. Purge - if you are not using it, but it is still possibly useful, start a pile for your neighbours to review or you to take away to donate. Trust me, your neighbours may come over for a driveway beverage and take some of your unwanteds off your hands :).⠀⠀⠀
Organize the walls first. Hang as much as you can on the walls. Get everything non-seasonal or with the ability to hook on the walls; Winter tires, snowboards and hockey equipment, bicycles, gardening tools and ladders. Use shelving and garage bins to put back what you need in a clean and organized way. You can even help your family remember where things go by drawing or labelling the hook to match what goes there.
Invite your family and neighbours to see your beautiful work of art. It may just be the reason to turn it into a bit of a social experience that everyone loves in the summertime. Driving into a clean, organized garage is such a treat. And If you are selling your home, a clean, orderly garage can be the cherry on the top for potential buyers.⠀⠀⠀
Keep the Water Pretty
Whether you have a pool, hot tub, shoreline, fountain or pond, there is nothing worse than bad looking water or debris. On hot summer days, it is a challenge to keep up with getting weeds raked up, debris scooped up and filtered water staying safe and clean from algae infestations. ⠀⠀⠀
This summer, with less socializing, it may surprise you how easy it is to miss regular maintenance due to fewer social gatherings. Keeping your water clean on an ongoing basis is far easier and less costly than after it has become unhealthy and full of bacteria. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
After all, isn’t it wonderful to know you can kick back, relax by it or dive in it at any time!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Keep up the grass and gardens
In the spring, we were all so keen to get those gardens curated, mulched, and the lawn looked green and lush. Nature implored us to mow every week. Now, as summer hits, the weeds are more in bloom than the florals, and our flowers easily let us know if we neglect them for more than a day or two. Grass becomes more dry and coarse. Watering often and not tiring of that new garden feeling will help your gardens sustain the heat of summer and cold nights of early fall.
Invest in a Power Washer
Things as simple as removing any garbage or debris from decks, outdoor furniture, porches, house walls, windows and doors can go a long way to enhance your curb appeal. Even if your house is not for sale at the moment, people notice a well-kept house as well as a house that has been “let go”. Anyone who comes to your home or travels by your home could be a potential buyer if you ever decide to sell.
Feel proud of your home. Maintaining your home a little all the time throughout the summer months will save your hours, lots of money and protect your most significant investment. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
If you have any questions about tips on how to maintain your house in the summer, reach out.
