Here are some more tips to get your house ship-shape early on this season.
If you’re replacing screen inserts in windows and doors, why not clean them first? To avoid stretching or breaking the screens, lay them flat — preferably on a cloth to avoid scratching the frames. Hose them down, and give them a light scrubbing with dish soap or other all-purpose cleaner.
Clean your kitchen exhaust fan and replace the filter. Grease build-up here can be nasty and potentially dangerous.
Clean your clothes dryer vent. If it’s clogged, your dryer has to work longer to get things dry, and there’s also the potential for fire.
If your gate hings and latches are crying out for attention (by squeaking loudly), lube ’em up. But use heavy white grease rather than light oil. It will last a lot longer and do a much better job.
Walk around your house and look for areas where the earth may have sunk, particularly if you were digging in foundation beds the previous year, or if a downspout leaked.. Depressions and low spots against the house can cause leaks in the basement, so fill them in. And fix the downspout!
Look at your lawn mower blades, and sharpen them with a file or have them professionally sharpened. For power mowers, change the oil, replace the spark plug, and clean or replace the air filter to keep it running smoothly. Follow your mower’s instruction manual, and make sure you correctly gap the spark plug.