Summer is upon us! While we’ve been stuck in our homes for much longer than we are usually accustomed to and probably have done many more projects already this year than you did the last 2 combined, it’s not over yet. Make sure you don’t overlook your summer home maintenance. There’s nothing worse than a green lagoon where your pool should be, an A/C that’s not cooling, and…well you get the point. Do these few projects sooner than later, and your future self will thank you.
Freshen the Air
Let fresh air fill your home by opening your windows, and get a houseplant to set next to your bathroom sink to help filter the air. Some of the best air-cleaning houseplants are snake plants, spider plants, English ivy, and small-leafed rubber plants.
Gutters and Drain Spouts
Clean, repair, or replace gutters and spouts to avoid roof leaks during our notorious summer rainstorms.
Air Conditioning
I learned from personal experience how awful it is to have your air conditioner suddenly decide to stop working mid-Florida-summer. I can tell you, this was awful. It actually happened 4th of July weekend, so of course, the cost to have it replaced over the holiday weekend was even more. This being said be sure to change your filters regularly and have your system serviced yearly.
Clean Your Coils
To help ensure nice cool longevity, clean your condenser coils. Make sure you get all of the dirt, dust, dander, and even food that’s found its way to the coils. Using your vacuum and coil brush you can make quick work of this important project. While you’re at it, clean the gaskets for both the fridge and freezer – replace is necessary. Just like mom used to remind us we aren’t heating or cooling the whole neighborhood, we don’t want our fridge or freezer trying to cool the entire kitchen.
Fan-tastic Idea
Don’t discount the value of a ceiling fan. Set fan blades to revolve counterclockwise, which forces the hotter air near the ceiling to mix with the lower, cooler air, leveling out the room temperature.
SPF for your Windows
There’s no point in turning on the AC if the sun coming through a window bakes your living room. Inspect window & door weather stripping to keep the hot weather outside. Install window coverings – fabric curtains, roller shades or plantation shutters all are great options.
Good-to-Go Garages
You’ve got your bathing suit and sunglasses on, sunscreen is applied, and your beach towel is fluffed up and ready to go. All you need now is your beach chair from the garage. Don’t ruin a perfectly good beach day spending hours scouring your cluttered garage. I actually covered the whole garage purge in the Great Garage Cleanout. Click here to read in full and make it happen!
Irrigation Issues
If you have a sprinkler system, it’s likely running a majority of the year. When’s the last time you turned them on and actually checked them? Broken or leaking sprinkler heads? Are you watering the street or your neighbor’s grass instead of your own? Now’s the time to make sure your sprinklers are set in ordinance with your local watering restrictions and also make sure they are performing as you hope they are.
Pool Up to Par?
Have you checked your chemicals recently? If you want to enjoy your backyard swimming hole all summer long, it is essential to monitor pH and chlorine levels. Failure to do so can result in bacteria growth, faded bathing suits, and irritated eyes. You should run your pump daily, for approximately 1 hour for every 10 degrees of heat in the water to avoid having a screened in green lagoon. Did you forget to set the pool pump? Add a jug of liquid chlorine and clean your filter. Happy swimming my mermaids and mermen.
Pest Prevention
Florida summers bring out pests galore. Whether it’s the rain or heat they are trying to escape from, inside your home is a mighty nice improvement from the outside elements. Make sure these few things are done and kept up over the summer to help keep those pests as far away as possible.
- Trim shrubs and bushes so they are not touching the exterior of your home
- Eliminate any and all standing water to stop mosquitos before they start
- Replace mercury vapor light bulbs with yellow sodium vapor bulbs to attract less bugs
- Move all bird feeders at least 25 feet from your home, spilled seeds can attract rodents.
- Weed out thick vegetation and pick ripe fruit and vegetables (remove any old/rotten right away)
If you’re finding pests inside, call your local pest control company or visit the local do-it-yourself pest control store.
Lawn Tool Loving
Whether power, electric or man-powered, our tools often get overlooked for maintenance, after all, they are what we perform maintenance with. Use compressed air or a leaf blower to clean off your lawn mower, edger and any other necessary tools. Check for specific recommended scheduled maintenance for this equipment and get it done, from oil changes, new gaskets, spark plugs, whatever it takes to make sure your equipment it running just as it should. Also – replace that old gas from your gas can, you don’t want to go through all of this work and then add old gas undoing all of your hard work.
