Can you believe the first day of fall is less than a month away? It seems like summer has flown by. Many have big aspirations for their summers, most of which include projects around the house. However, between vacations, entertaining kids, and spending time with family and friends, your summer projects may have been put on the back burner. While fun, decorative projects are OK to delay, seasonal maintenance is something you should always take the time to complete.

Late Summer Home Maintenance Tips

Before the kids head back to school and time starts becoming less abundant, make sure you tackle these end-of-summer maintenance tasks. You’ll mostly focus your efforts on exterior care of your home as late summer sets it. These tasks include:

• Paint: When was the last time you touched up the paint on your home’s exterior? This day-long project is worth the time and effort because your house will look brand new when you are finished.
• Wash windows and screens: We always remember to clean the inside of our windows but we neglect the outside of them. Get out the ladder and clean those windows, along with the screens. This is a good time to replace any broken window screens as well.
• Clean your home’s exterior: Power washing can actually damage your house but you want to get rid of moss and build up on the exterior of your residence. Soft washing is eco-friendly and biodegradable, so not only is safe for the environment but it won’t hurt your home either.
• Clean and inspect patios, balconies, decks, walkways, and driveways: These areas of your home get a lot of use during the summer so make sure they are in decent shape before the snow and ice builds up. Find any areas of dangerous, slippery conditions may occur during the winter and see if you repair those issues before someone hurts themselves.
• Garage upkeep: Pack up outdoor toys, furniture, and equipment that you won’t need once the summer is over. Sweep and soft wash your garage so it’s nice and clean.

Early Fall Home Maintenance Tips

The days have cooled off a bit so it’s time roll up your sleeves and get to work on those fall maintenance tasks. Set aside a week to focus on getting your home ready for the colder, damper weather that is headed your way with these fall home maintenance tips.

• Checking your furnace filter: There’s nothing worse than the weather getting cold and you discover your furnace isn’t working. Avoid this nuisance by cleaning the furnace filter or replacing it entirely.
• Test smoke and carbon dioxide detectors. The beginning of every season is a good time to routinely check these devices. During the fall and winter, many burn fires in their homes so you want to make sure your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors are in working condition to keep your loved ones safe.
• Yard maintenance: Before everything is covered in ice and snow, make sure your yard is free of debris. That means raking leaves, pulling leaves, disposing of garbage, and packing up summer toys and equipment that are laying out.
• Remove dead or dying tree limbs: As it gets cold, these limbs turn into major liabilities if they aren’t removed. You do not want to walk out to your car one morning to discover it’s been crushed by a falling tree limb. Call a professional to have these removed before they hurt someone.
• Clean gutters and downspouts: Fall and winter mean rain and snow so you want check that your gutters and downspouts are in top condition before the seasons begin. You might have to repeat this task once all of the leaves have fallen from the trees but a first go at it in late summer will negate any early fall storms that could damage your roof or siding.
• Seal gaps where wildlife could enter your home: Do a walk around your home and garage to see if there are gaps or holes where wildlife, like mice or ants, can get into your home. Seal them up with heavy-duty hardware cloth to keep critters out.
• Stock up on winter necessities: Load up on firewood, snow shovels, ice melt, and emergency kit materials so that you aren’t caught my surprise when that first snow storm sneaks up on you.
• Turn off valves to exterior hose bibs: This will prevent exterior water pipes from bursting when the weather dips below freezing.
• Fireplace and chimney care: Unless you have professional experience doing these tasks, pay someone to inspect your fireplace and chimney before building any fires.

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