As the summer season comes upon us every year, the heat and outside humidity soon start to take a toll on your home and its overall value. While the best way to beat the heat and stay cool in the summers is to remain indoors, but before you indulge yourself in some much-deserved downtime, it is necessary to do quick summer home maintenance to keep your home healthy and enjoy your summers.
Here are some simple but important summer maintenance tips for your home that will ensure a stress-free summer for you.
1. Clean up the exterior
The summer months and the accompanying heat and humidity increase the likelihood of mold and mildew growing faster on the exterior of your house. The best way to do this is to use a power washer with a mildew remover that is compatible with your siding. This is also a great maintenance tip for those who are prepping the house for a fresh coat of pain.
Remember that the pressure washer you choose, though, depends on the exterior of your house, and your pressure washer should match the housing materials that are used in the exterior of your home. For example, if you have vinyl siding outside, it can withstand a powerful gas pressure washer, while stucco, soft-grain wood, or aluminum exteriors will do better with a less powerful washer.
2. Give a once-over of the deck
Come summer, the entire family tends to spend a lot of time outdoors, especially when the children stay home from school. This is why it is an excellent time to check your deck to determine if any boards appear to be rotting. If there is anything wrong, it is better to have the boards replaced. A good way to ensure that the boards are resealed after any work is done on them is to pour water on the deck. If you find that the water beads into small puddles, it is okay to go. However, if it sinks into the wood, you need to reseal the boards to protect your deck from water damage.
3. Upgrade your old doors and windows and replace any damaged screens.
Many of us run air conditioners during the summers, and carrying out maintenance of your windows and doors is an important work that must be carried out to maintain the temperature inside. Windows must close properly to allow the temperature inside to remain cool. Otherwise, you will keep running the air conditioner for hours without achieving any effective cooling. Also, check the sealant around the outdoor and indoor windows, and replace the sealants if required.
4. Check the roof and the exteriors and make the necessary repairs
Before you settle down for the summer, check underneath your eaves for any loose debris that might have started accumulating there over the winter months. If you see any debris, gunk, or leaves, collect and remove all of them. Then inspect the flashing of the roof or the metal strips that can be found around vents, chimneys, skylights, and satellite dishes. These often tend to loosen during a hailstorm or harsh rainstorm, which might lead to potential water leakage in the months ahead. Remember that a stitch in time saves nine. So if you want to avoid any significant expenditures in the future, it is always better to carry out routine maintenance on these items of the house.
5. Tend to your bushes and trees
This is the time to put any new additions to your garden, prune your bushes, flowers, and trees, and get your house looking pretty again. While ideally, this should be done in the springtime, it’s still not too late. Add some mulch to your garden beds to give them a cleaner appearance. Mulch also reduces the growth of weeds and also locks in moisture, thus keeping your plants healthier when the temperatures go through the roof.
Pruning the flowers, bushes, and trees is an important step to ensure they stay away from the central air conditioning unit and your home’s exterior and roof.
It helps to be an all-season homeowner by following these helpful maintenance tips. Maintaining your house in the high temperatures of summer is equally important as safeguarding your home before winter sets in. So remember to take care and get ready to enjoy the summers without having to worry about your house.