You’ve survived the long winter cozied up at home! But did the outside of your house fare so well? As we set to work spring cleaning our homes, it’s time to show some love to the neglected parts of our home: our gutters and patio.
You’d be gutted if, come summer, you had clogged gutters or couldn’t use the patio for entertaining outside. Nip worries in the bud with some maintenance and cleaning of the outside of your home.
Before you get the patio furniture out and plan your first barbecue of the year, clear away the remnants of winter and give your deck a good clean.
Start easy by sweeping away dirt and leaves from your patio with a bristled broom. Keeping it clean in this manner stops discoloration of the tiles or stone.
This may require a little elbow grease. Clean the tiles, stone or wood of your patio by rinsing with a hose. Tackle stains or hard-to-clean spots with a patio cleaner. Use a scrub brush to give them a good wash, then rinse well.
If some unwanted weeds have popped up through the cracks, you may want to do a little weeding. Moss and lichen growth can be removed from tiles and stone by pouring hot water onto the area. Then scrub with a soft brush and rinse with the hose.
Chances are, those garden chairs could do with sprucing up. Clean wooden or wicker furniture with an oil-based soap or commercial wood cleaner and warm water. Hose wicker furniture every few weeks to stop dirt from building up in the crevices.
Clean metal, iron and aluminum patio furniture with a solution of equal parts warm water and white vinegar. Avoid chemicals such as ammonia, trisodium phosphate (TSP), and alkaline cleaners that can cause rust.
For plastic or hard resin garden furniture, wash with warm water and dish soap.
For glass tabletops, use a damp cleaning rag and glass cleaner—a scrub brush can scratch the glass!
There’s no better way to show off your clean patio or deck than by decorating it with plants and evergreens.
Tucked away out of sight and out of mind, gutters are easy to overlook. But because clogged gutters can cause leaks or even wall damage later in the year, it’s time to get to work and spring clean those bad boys.
You’ll need:
- A good stepladder (and a buddy or friendly neighbor)
- Trowel
- Empty bucket
- Soapy water bucket
- Hose
- Gardening gloves
- Old cloth/cleaning rags
Grab a gutter-cleaning buddy! Whether it’s your partner, friend or neighbor, you need to trust them to spot the ladder while you work. Also, make sure you’re wearing non-slip shoes and that your stepladder is positioned in a sturdy, safe way.
Armed with an empty bucket, gloves and a trowel, start clearing the gutters of leaves, mud and debris. To save you from going up and down, collect everything in the bucket.
Using a (powerful) hose, wash away any remaining debris. Be sure to rinse the downspout, too (the one that the Itsy Bitsy Spider climbs up).
Clean the outside of the gutters with warm, soapy water and a sponge. Be careful not to scratch the gutter.
Pour water down the downspout to remove any last dirt or obstructions.
The season for outdoor living is upon us! Enjoy it with your sparkling clean patio and gutters.
Want more spring-cleaning tips? Ask Team Clean ™ has got you covered. Find them here