Spring Tips

From the blooming flowers to the delightful temperatures, there is plenty to love about springtime in Georgia! Georgia’s spring weather is perfect for backyard barbeques, front porch sitting, driving with the windows open or the top down, or getting out on the road on your bike.

Spring is also the best time to get your home ready for the coming summer months, and the heat and humidity that comes with the changing of the seasons.

Here are just a few tips to get your home ready.

1. Clean out your gutters. With the springtime showers, your drainage needs to perform optimally. Remove leaves and debris from your gutters and downspouts.
2. Rake your lawn. Remove thatch build-up or any leaves remaining from the fall. If you’ don’t like picking up the mess, run over your lawn with the lawn mower, with the bag attached; It will vacuum up most of the mess.
3. Power wash. But it may be smart to wait for the majority of the pollen to fall. Power washing too early will only make more work.
4. Check your roof, siding and window trim. Make sure nothing has opened up over the winter, and closing it up now before the rains come will help your house stay dry.
5. Move firewood away from your home. Firewood should be stored at least 18 inches off the ground at least 2 feet from the structure.
6. Check outside faucets, and hoses for leaks. Don't throw away money on leaky faucets or bad hoses.
7. Service your AC unit. Find a qualified heating and cooling contractor to clean and service the outside unit of your air conditioning system. Clean coils operate more efficiently, and an annual service call will keep the system working at peak performance levels. Change interior filters on a regular basis.
8. Check, clean, or change the gas, oil, spark plugs and air filters in power equipment, and sharpen the blade on you mower. Doing this now will help you have a trouble free summer.
9. Trim bushes, plant flowers and add mulch…in that order. It’s best to trim your bushes first, so you don’t trample your new flowers. Lay down a tarp, then let the branches fall onto the tarp for easy cleanup. Once complete, plant your flowers in nice composted soil, and top off your flowerbeds with pine straw or your mulch of choice.
10. Clean your grill. It's not pleasant, but it will prolong the life of your grill. They don't make them like they used to.