Guide to Summer Home Maintenance
It’s about time to break out the shorts, fire up the grill, and toast to the good ol’ days of summer. To make the most of your summer fun, you’ll want to stay on top of your summer home maintenance. Particularly outdoors, keeping up with summer tasks goes a long way in keeping your home and yard looking their best, providing the ultimate oasis for you and your family.
Save yourself the headache and expense of repairs down the road. Check out our guide to summer home maintenance to help you tackle what’s most important this season.
Guide to Summer Home Maintenance: Exterior
1. Sharpen Mower Blades
Check to be sure the blades on your lawn mower are plenty sharp. Typically, lawn mower blades need to be sharpened every other month during the mowing season. Keep an eye on them because dull mower blades damage your grass and don’t cut well.
2. Raise Mower Deck Height
It’s best to raise the deck height (which raises the mower blades) during the hotter months of summer. Cutting your grass too short stresses your lawn. Taller grass helps shade the soil, which then helps it retain moisture in the summer heat.
3. Clean Up Trees & Shrubs
Most pruning is best saved for fall and winter, but summer is the perfect time to remove dead wood and branches from trees and shrubs. Not only will this clean up your yard’s appearance, but it also prevents dead branches from getting knocked down across your yard during summer storms. A chainsaw, pole saw, and hedge trimmers make cleanup a breeze.
4. Pull Weeds & Lay Mulch
Most people hate pulling weeds, but if you have a larger area to clean up, consider leveraging the power of a garden tiller or cultivator -- these can make easy work of a hard job. When you're finished, lay fresh mulch in your flower beds. This not only helps to keep your landscaping looking fresh, but the mulch helps to prevent weeds from returning and helps the plants retain moisture.
5. Clean the Gutters
This is the chore that everyone hates. A corded electric or cordless electric leaf blower is the perfect tool for making light work of everyone’s least favorite chore. (Electric offers plenty of power for the job, but not all the weight of a gas-powered blower – kind of nice when you’re on the roof.) If not addressed, the debris that collects in your gutter system, particularly from spring and summer storms, causes damage that is a much bigger chore later on. It’s important that gutters and downspouts remain clear so that rainwater flows properly from your roof, protecting your home’s exterior from water damage.
