Sprucing Up for Summer Fun!
The sun is shining, the snow storms have (mostly) subsided, and the birds have returned from their migration abroad. This can only mean one thing: patio season is almost here! And while we’re all looking forward to having a few after work cocktails out in the sunshine, toasting outside of your own freshly spruced up home will only make the experience that much better.
Here are some outdoor cleaning tips, perfect for the summertime season and to get your home margarita-sipping ready.
The Summer Time Scrub Down
Cleaning the outside of your home can seem like a daunting task with all that surface area to cover. But remember: focus on one small area at a time. Breaking your big projects into manageable steps is a great way to keep yourself from getting overwhelmed.
Start with wiping down your ‘high touch’ areas. These are the surfaces that see a lot of action either from the people in your home, guests, critters, or the elements. Your front/back door, windows, and front porch are all areas that see a lot of fingerprints, dust, grime, salt, animal droppings, residue, and old pollen.
For windows that are hard to reach, use a retractable window washing end for your hose.
Remember, grime can hide in some sneaky places so make sure that you’re looking above and below eye level to avoid having those dust bunnies stick around longer than necessary. Some of our favorite overlooked areas are:
- Outdoor light fixtures. While cleaning these, it’s also a great time to check if any of your bulbs need to be replaced.
- Window trim and railings. While soap and warm water will usually do the trick for these, you can also use an old toothbrush to get into those tricky corners!
- Garage door. Inside and out! Rinse and wipe off the dirt on the outside of your garage door. This can be done with a power washer or with a cleaning cloth, some warm soapy water, and your hose. Clean the inside of your door to remove any cobwebs and dirt.
Doing Gutters with Gusto
Don’t fear! We know that cleaning out the gutters isn’t the most highly anticipated activity for most people so we’ve got some tips to make the process a little easier.
First, make sure to wear a sturdy pair of gloves to protect your hands from any sharp twigs, small branches, and debris.
Next, if you’re using a leaf blower, make sure to attach a gutter friendly attachment. By doing this, you’ll be able to easily blow out debris from your gutters. No fuss, no muss!
If you’re using a hose, you’ll want to make sure you’re wearing something water resistant like a rain jacket. You’ll be in the splash zone so make sure you’re going in prepared.
If you’re going in manually, you’ll want to use a hand held garden tool with prongs to scrape leaves out of your gutters. Once your gutters are clear, you can take care of any lingering remainders using the spray setting on your hose. Now your gutters will be spick and span for the summer!
Garage Makeover
Garages are notorious for becoming the communal storage space in the house as it’s an easy place to quickly throw all your things before winter sets in. If you’re anything like us, a little summer-time reorganization is definitely in your future!
First thing’s first, go through your boxes, storage containers, and equipment to see if there’s anything you no longer need. If you find some items that are no longer useful to you, consider donating or selling them. As the saying goes, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”.
Pro tip: if you’re short on storage, summer is a great time to install extra racks and shelving. This will also help you keep organized throughout the winter months when it’s time to pack up all your summer gear again.
Once that’s done, give your floors a good sweep with your favorite outdoor broom and wash any garage windows with a glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth.
Just like that, your garage will be looking brand new in no time!
Perk Up Patio Furniture
Maintaining your patio furniture is important – and not just because you need somewhere to sip those summer cocktails while soaking up the sun! Outdoor furniture sees a lot of dirt, pollen, sweat, and stains, so we want to make sure that we give it a little ‘refresh’ every time summer comes around again.
This can be done by using your garden hose, a scrubber brush, and some dish soap on the frames of your furniture. And if you do it on a warm day (which we highly suggest!), you can let the sunshine dry it off. Easy, just how we like it!
If your patio furniture has removable cushions with slipcovers, you can give those a quick spruce up in the washing machine.
If they don’t have slipcovers, don’t fret! You can still get them looking good as new by following these easy steps:
- Mix 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid in a bucket of warm water.
- Sponge the cleaning mixture onto your cushions and let it soak for fifteen minutes. For tougher spots, use a scrubber brush dipped in your solution to really get in there.
- Rinse off your cushions with your garden hose. Use the gentle spray setting to avoid damaging the fabric.
- Towel-dry cushions and leave them out to air-dry. You’ll want to make sure that your cushions are standing up on end to get the best possible dry. Any lingering moisture can cause a buildup of mildew – and we don’t want that!
- Once dry, use a fabric protector on your patio cushions to help protect them from dirt, dust, and all the other outdoor elements.
Reward Yourself
Now that you’ve gotten your summertime chores out of the way and your outdoor space is looking great, it’s time to relax with a tasty cocktail! Here are two that we recommend and are ‘Anna approved’!
Looking after your space is important but so is self-care: so remember to takes breaks, treat yourself, and enjoy that lovely summer weather.
As always, if you need a bit of support with your cleaning, whether it be a seasonal deep clean, or just a little something added to your regular clean, we’re always happy to lend a helping hand!
Remember: We love cleaning so you don’t have to!
~Your friend, Anna