Outdoor Summer Fun: July's Home Maintenance Checklist

Outdoor Summer Fun: July's Home Maintenance Checklist

We hope you’ve enjoyed our maintenance series thus far from your favorite DMV Realtors and hope it’s helping you break down home maintenance into manageable tasks. We’re officially over halfway through the year, and July’s list is focused on many outdoor and exterior items. Here’s the rundown of maintenance items to check off your home maintenance list this month, and almost all of them concern getting that exterior ready for summer fun!

Clean Deck- Get that deck ready for summer soirees, parties, and dinner al fresco! Cleaning your deck may reveal a larger project, like refinishing or staining your wood so that it remains in top condition or, at the very least, won’t hurt anyone with splinters or rusty nails. 

First, do some quick research; the best approach is dependent on what type of deck you have. Composite and wood are the most popular types, so a quick Google search can give you a list of homemade solutions and also the best professional products to use. Then, clear your deck of all furniture, rugs, decor, grills— anything on it— and visually inspect it. If you have discoloration or loose boards, you’ll want to fix that before a proper cleaning. Then, grab a broom and sweep off any debris. Next, you’ll want to pre-rinse your deck which will allow whatever cleaning agent you choose to work better. 

Clean it, ensuring you’re using a proper product for your type of deck, with a brush or a clean broom. Rinse your deck to remove build-up. If your deck is in need, apply a coat of sealant or staining to properly maintain your wood or research if any further steps are required if you have a composite deck. 

Pressure-washing kings and queens, now is your time to shine, but be sure to Google the best psi/pressure to use for your material to give it a good cleaning without damaging your deck. 

Check For Any Wasp Nests & Bee Hives- We’re all about saving the bees, but wasps and some other flying creatures are not as welcome— despite the ecological role they play. By all means, plant some wildflowers and have an area to host our honey-making friends, but a swarm of wasps or a wasp nest can definitely be a threat to enjoying the outdoors. Check those mailboxes, posts, fences, and close gaps along your exterior for unwanted nests. Look for swarms of wasps and be sure to check your yard for those in the ground as well.

If you do have a ground nest, it is best to use the professionals or at least a wasp-specific product that will cause the wasps to track the powder back deep into their burrows and nests. The best time to spray any nest is at night, when everyone is “home” and not out “working” for the day. Again, if you believe you have an infestation in your walls or a larger outdoor problem, please contact a local professional to guide you through the extermination process without any chemicals that would be harmful to you or your family— including our four-legged family members. 

Change Furnace Filters-  You’ve done this one before. If you’re late in getting your local HVAC professional out for a seasonal check, you can ask that they complete this task as well, but check back to our previous blog for more details here. 

Check Fences For Repair- Moving along your property line, get a close up of all your fences and gates and inspect them for loose nails, rotting or warped boards, etc. If your area is prone to summer storms, it is likely your insurance will cover replacing a fence if a tornado or heavy winds and rain is at fault. Double-check your locks and entrance points too, and, if you have a dog, make sure Rufus hasn’t dug holes underneath or is actively planning an escape route :-) or any other animals aren’t burrowing beneath your posts and boards. 

Clean Exterior Light Fixtures- Lastly, you’ll want to ensure that those summer soirees and late-night parties keep going, so it’s time to clean your exterior light fixtures. Wipe them down with a simple cleaning solution and dust out the cobwebs. While you’re at it, change the light-bulbs if needed and possibly add a touch of paint to keep them looking new!

That’s it for July! We hope you enjoy your last month or so of summer. We wouldn’t turn down an invite to those summer parties either– wink, wink!

As always, if you’re looking to buy or sell, contact our real estate team today. We’re more than happy to assist in navigating this market in any way we can. We’ll give you some great recommendations for help, too, if you need some assistance knocking out this maintenance list!