Springtime is a good time to rent a pressure washer to clean exterior siding, decks ,railings, shutters and windows
- Clean! They don’t call it “spring cleaning” for nothing.
Clean your windows inside and out. Get rid of all that gunk and grime from all of the Nor’easter storms that we’ve experienced recently. While your cleaning your windows check them for proper operation and check weather stripping condition and replace if necessary. Springtime is a good time to rent a pressure washer to clean exterior siding, decks, railings, shutters and windows.
- Don’t forget the inside of your house.
Springtime is a good time to check on your heating system. Replace the filter if it’s a forced hot air furnace heating system. Tune-ups from a qualified technician are usually cheaper in the offseason months. Reprogram your thermostats for the warmer months and your lifestyle. Replace all your batteries in your smoke/carbon monoxide detectors. Check your dryer vent for lint buildup, and have your fireplace cleaned.
- Check the parameter of your foundation for cracks.
Look for any signs of small cracks in your foundation on the outside and inside your home. You’ll want to prevent water penetration from getting into those cracks by using a quality epoxy sealant for cement. While you are outside examining the outside foundation make sure the soil grade is sloping away from the foundation walls so that water doesn’t pool near the walls and cause water seepage into the basement.
- Look at condition of paint on siding and windows.
If the paint job on your home is less that five years old and its all ready show signs of premature pealing or blistering then that is a sure sign of water damage. It could be a poor prep job by the painter or water damage from gutters being clogged or house moisture escaping threw the walls due to improper house ventilation. The root cause needs to be identified and resolved before paint touch-up repairs are performed. You can extend the life of your expensive house paint job with proper yearly maintenance.
- Check for any gaps in the siding or trim.
While inspecting the paint job look for any cracks or wide gaps around the window trim, sills and siding. Fill all gaps and cracks with a latex based exterior painters calk. Make any minor repairs to soft/rotten wood with wood epoxy filler then prime and paint as needed. The goal is to allow water to run off the siding to the ground instead of the inside of your siding or walls.
- Inspect the condition of your roof.
While up on a ladder look at the condition of your roofing shingles, Make sure they are laying down flat to the roof surface and that there aren’t any loose sections. Check the valleys for debris and flashing around chimneys and condition of mortar joints for cracks and or loose joints. Check the ridge vent for any clogging from debris as well. Always have a professional roofer perform any repairs to your roofing components.
- Check your soffit and fascia trim boards and gutters.
Check to see if either of these trim boards have any dry rot that could allow water to enter into your home and damage your ceilings or walls. Make sure your metal roofing drip edge overlaps the face of the fascia board to allow proper water run off into your gutters. Do a visual check of your gutters and down spouts to make sure the fasteners haven’t loosen up from the weight of the snow and ice buildup. Clean out debris in your gutters and down spouts and make sure water flows down properly by using a garden hose spray.
- Lawn Care
A healthy lawn in the summer starts with a multi step spring maintenance plan. The winter season can alter soil pH, compact the soil, and create conditions that are friendly to weeds and disease. It is essential that you properly clean, fertilize, aerate and mow your lawn early in the season. First pickup any branches/twigs and loose debris. Then you’ll want to give your lawn a thorough raking job. Repair any bare spot areas by applying a quality grass seed and seed starter fertilizer. Water new grass seed areas at lease two times a day. If your soil is compacted then have it aerated to allow water and nutrients to get into the grass roots. Apply a quality spring fertilizer to your lawn area everywhere except where you repaired your lawns bare spots. (Regular fertilizer will prevent new seed germination). Mow your grass early in the season.
