Getting Ready for Outdoor Time!
Warmer days are on the way, and when the weather cooperates, home owners are outside preparing their yards, gardens and pools for the coming Summer. But is your patio looking a little sad? Do you want to utilize your front porch more this season? Your outdoor spaces only need a little TLC and elbow grease!
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- Sweep patios to remove loose debris. Use a pressure washer on concrete, or a long-handled stiff brush and warm water mixed with bleach--a 10:1 mixture is strong enough to clean the area well.
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- For porches, sweep the flooring, as well as ceilings and posts, and a shower of water from the garden hose should remove the dust and cobwebs. If something needs more attention, use a soft bristled brush or flat mop dipped in a mixture of warm water and mild dish detergent.
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- Wood decks may only need a simple sweeping and washing down with a hose and soft scrub brush. If you’re thinking about staining or painting the woodwork, a pressure washer would be the best tool to prep it for its makeover.
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- Screening should be checked for holes and rips that can be eventually be big problems, and is easy to replace for little cost.
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- Check for any cracks in cement patios. Fill them with caulking or even quick-drying concrete. Many easy and affordable repair kits are in local home stores. If the problem goes deeper than just a crack, call a contractor to come and make sure the problem isn’t structural.
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- Bricks and pavers can become loose over time, and filling the spaces between them with sand is one way to sturdy them. According to Neave Masonry, after filling in between the pavers with sand, use a broom to distribute it evenly, wet the pavers, and once it’s settled, add more sand and repeat. Continue to add sand until the spaces are filled with sand.
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- Keeping outdoor furniture covered when not in use is great, but it still would be a good idea to give it a good cleaning since you’ll be using it soon.
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- Get your planters ready for flowers by removing soil from them and clean with a spray from the water hose. Soak them in a mixture of 9 parts water to one-part household bleach to get rid of any bacteria that could’ve grown in the Winter, and rinse well.
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- Outdoor pillows can take a beating, so if yours are looking grim, you can purchase new covers more inexpensively than completely replacing the pillows. If they have been in outdoor storage, wash them, hang them outside to air dry, and add the new covers.
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- Spruce up the seating area with fragrant plants, an outdoor area rug, hang pretty sheets or shower curtains on tension rods to add some drama, and some DIY lighting--check out these ideas from BuzzFeed.
Don’t wait until it gets steaming hot or two hours before your cookout guests arrive to get your yard and outdoor seating area in order. Doing it now will encourage you and yours to spend more time in the outdoors to dine al fresco, relax with a good book, or spend time winding down after a long day at work.
Courtesy of New Castle County DE Realtors Tucker Robbins.
