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| Photo: Creative Commons |
In winter, your house becomes your refuge. You close the windows, draw the curtains and fire up the furnace — you’re ready to cuddle up until it’s warm again.
But once spring rolls around, your lifestyle becomes completely different. Once again, you’re spending time outside — and letting the outdoors in. As such, you’ll need to prepare your home for the new season, in which you’ll enjoy your home’s interior as much as you’ll enjoy its exterior.
Ready to make the transition from winter to spring? Here are seven tips for doing it:
1. Conduct a Spring Cleaning
There’s a reason why spring cleaning is part of the routine of households across the country. You spend all winter inside — your home is in need of a deep cleaning. Plus, a spring-cleaning allows you to clean out closets and storage spaces, too, removing winter items and seasonal clothing that you haven’t worn for the past year.
Focus your deep spring cleaning on the areas you use the most: the kitchen, the living room, the bedrooms, the bathroom, etc. Don’t forget about areas that have gone unused for winter but will come in use now that it’s warm: be sure to clean your windows, for example, as well as screens so that you can let in fresh air without letting dirt in, too.
2. Refresh the HVAC
Your heater has been working non-stop this winter, so spring’s the perfect time to freshen it up. Start by replacing all of the filters that have been keeping dust, dirt and other debris from entering your home’s airspace. Then, have an expert come out and inspect your air-conditioner to make sure it’s in full working order before summer rolls around. You’ll avoid higher priced check-ups in the middle of the AC’s most in-demand season.
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| Photo: Creative Commons |
3. Redecorate the Outdoors
Whether your winter was snowy, rainy or simply gloomy, one thing’s for sure: you haven’t been keeping up with the landscaping. But spring is the perfect time to flex your green thumb and give your home’s curb appeal a bit more luster.
One of the most overlooked areas when it comes to curb appeal is your garage door, but this element can completely revamp the look of your home. This is especially true for forward-facing garage doors: a stylish update can give your home a more modern, unique appearance.
4. Examine the Roof
If you live in a colder climate, your roof may have spent winter under a layer of snow. As the icy precipitation melts away, it may have damaged some of your roof shingles — and even taken some of them away with it.
As spring makes its way in, be sure to give your roof a good examination. If any shingles are damaged or missing altogether, have them replaced before April showers roll in.
5. Test Your Lawn Tools
The items you use most for warm-weather DIY are most likely your lawn care tools. However, your lawnmower, edger, weed-whacker, etc., have sat idle throughout the winter chill and may be in need of repair before it’s time to start mowing and edging the lawn again. So, spend a weekend afternoon testing your equipment. Fill them with fuel and see if they still work to your expectations. If not, have them repaired or replace them with a fully functional new model.
6. Clean Out the Chimney
If you have a chimney, it’s probably been in full use throughout winter. However, you’re much less likely to use it once spring and summer roll around as you chase cool breezes instead.
So, at the end of winter, have a good, hard look at the chimney’s exterior. Be on the lookout for any signs of cracks or damage that you should have fixed during a time when chimney repairs are in low demand, thus saving you money. You might also want to hire someone to clean the interior of your chimney so it’s ready for next year’s wintertime fires.
7. Empty the Gutters
Unlike some of the more specialty tasks on this list, you can empty your home’s gutters all on your own. All you’ll need to complete the job are a ladder, a bucket and a leaf scooper.
You can likely imagine how the job will go down: you’ll climb the ladder, clear any wintertime debris from your gutters, place it in the bucket, carry the bucket down the ladder, dump it into a trash bag, move the ladder, climb and repeat. Once all of your gutters are done, make sure your downspouts are clear, too, so there’s no blockage between April showers and the place where you want runoff to drain.
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| Photo: Creative Commons |
Spring Into It
Every home is different, and yours might not require all of the above preparations — or, it might need even more love before spring rolls around. Either way, the above are a great jumping-off point for your seasonal home care that should take place after spring and every other season that comes and goes. That way, you can keep your home in its best shape for all of the years and weather and seasons in your future.
Meet Kacey
Kacey Bradley is the lifestyle and travel blogger for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she frequently writes for sites like US Travel News, Thought Catalog, Style Me Pretty, Tripping.com and more!
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