10 Outdoor Spring Cleaning Projects
Spring cleaning is not exciting for many of us. But it is important. As the holidays and winter near an end and we start looking forward to spring and warm weather, something within us tells us to get our homes in order by cleaning, organizing and purging things we’ve collected over the winter.
But who says spring cleaning is limited to the inside of your home?
The exterior of your house could use some refreshing after a cold, dreary winter, too!
It’s Time For Home Exterior Cleaning
Here are home exterior cleaning projects that will drastically improve the appearance of your house in Carmel, and, more importantly, will offer much-needed care and maintenance that will save you money in years ahead.
1. Gutter Cleaning
Spring is the optimal time of year to clean your gutters, because a lot of leaves and debris accumulated during the fall and winter. Pollen is at its highest during the spring, making a mess in your gutters and downspouts if they aren’t cleaned.
Plus, bugs and animals are looking for places to build their homes during spring, so getting your gutters cleaned will help to prevent an infestation in your home.
Gutter cleaning consists of cleaning the inside and outside of your gutters, removing mold, mildew and stains and restoring them to a nice appearance.
2. Window Cleaning
Residential window cleaning is necessary for spring cleaning. First floor windows will not give you too much of an issue, but any second and third floor windows will be trickier to reach.
Cleaning windows by hand is a tiring chore, and will require a lot of supplies, not to mention going up and down a ladder! A soft wash or professional cleaning of your exterior windows is the best solution to get the panes and the outer frame nice and clean.
3. Pressure Washing
You aren’t going to want clean gutters and windows on a dirty home. That means you will want to pressure wash your house too!
Pressure washing is fast, effective and doesn’t cost too much. You can pressure clean your home, patio furniture, concrete patios, porches and walkways with very little effort. It will eliminate dirt and mud so they won’t stain your house, and you can prevent the spread of mold, mildew and allergens.
4. Driveway Cleaning
Clearing off your driveway and giving it a deep cleaning may seem silly because you’ll just be driving on it, but, a clean, well-maintained driveway can increase the curb appeal of your house.
A professional pressure washing company will do wonders for driveway cleaning, whether it’s concrete, asphalt, stone or another material. Also think about adding a gravel or mulch border to your driveway to really help it stand out!
5. Patio Cleaning
Your patio probably gets the most use during the summer, so it is easy to forget about it during the winter since you aren’t doing a lot of outdoor entertaining, leisure or grilling. Your patio might be in pretty bad condition the first time you go onto it in the spring.
Detergent and water – and a little muscle – can sometimes be enough for patio cleaning, but if there are signs of mold or algae, you might need to think about a more serious option, like power washing, to guarantee that friends and family can enjoy your patio all summer long.
6. Roof Cleaning
Algae and moss are common home roof problems in Carmel. While you are cleaning the exterior of your house, it’s a great time to pressure clean your roof too, but you’ll have to use a different method than what you use for the rest of your home’s exterior.
If you notice streaks on your roof, algae is probably the reason. Moss is pretty obvious, too. These particles cannot be scrubbed off shingles, nor can you power wash the roof of your house. Both of these methods will damage the shingles on your roof.
The ideal process for roof cleaning is to spray the shingles with a half-water, half-bleach solution and leave it sit. This solution will kill all organic organisms on your roof without reducing its lifespan.
7. Spruce up the Front
The front of your house is going to be what most people see, so make the best impression you can for visitors, neighbors and for yourself! Coming home to a clean exterior will immediately improve your day, and will even motivate you to spend more time outside.
Clean your porch with soap and water or a good power wash. Clean cobwebs and dirt off of the front door, and think about painting it a new color for a really bright look! Clean unnoticed areas such as the porch ceiling, light fixtures and ceiling fans, too.
8. Organize Outdoor Tools
You will be spending a lot more time outside, so spring is an excellent opportunity to organize everything you’ll need for outdoor work.
Yard tools and pool care equipment must all have an assigned area outside your house – somewhere that it is safe from weather and out of sight so it is not a constant eyesore. Spending the time to organize in the spring allows you to appreciate the exterior of your house so much more throughout the time of year that you spend the most time outside.
9. Lawn Care & Landscaping
Your yard, trees and bushes can make a big impact on the look of your house.
Remove weeds near the exterior of your flower beds and walkways and driveway, till up places where you will be planting later on and sweep off walkways. You can spray pre-emergent weed killer to make yard care easier on yourself throughout the summer. Trim all the bushes too.
10. Clean the Grill
After being unused for several months, your gas or charcoal grill could use a good cleaning, too. Leftover grease and food particles from your grill are definitely unappetizing, but they can make you and your family ill.
Wipe it down to remove ash, then scrub the grates with a plastic scrubber (so you do not leave behind particles that can get into food) and a dish soap or degreaser.
You can probably complete all of these projects after a few weekends but it is going to be a lot of hard work. Instead, give us a call! Carmel Pressure Washing provides professional residential exterior cleaning services for driveway cleaning, patio cleaning, pressure washing, roof cleaning and more!