The fall season comes as a transitional period sandwiched between summer and winter that presents a perfect opportunity to get everything ready. Cleaning your home during such a transition period means preparing the family for the upcoming seasons. There are several other cleaning tasks that you can do besides raking leaves during fall in readiness for winter. Here is a Fall Outdoor Cleaning Checklist that you need as a homeowner to get every aspect right.
1. Care for the Gardening tools
Check your gardening implements for dirt and soiling. Scrub off the mud on your farm tools such as shovels and rakes using a stiff-bristled brush to clean any dirt. Assess the wooden tools for visible splinters and cracks.
Remember to sharpen blunt implements and repair those with cracked or broken handles. When all your tools are clean and functional, lubricate the metallic parts with the appropriate oils. Hang them on them your garage or the storage shed to await the coming spring.
2. Pay Attention to the Gutters
Gutters play a critical role in controlling the rainwater to shield your landscapes, walls, roofs, and foundation of your house from runoff damages. A gutter that is clogged by debris can bring profound damages to the roofs with the likelihood of causing severe water damage within and outside your home.
It is thus crucial to clean the gutters to get rid of the debris that may cause clogging. Enlist the help of professional cleaners to work on your gutter in case you may not do it yourself satisfactorily. Gutter cleaning is an essential fall cleaning aspect that you must do before the coming of cold seasons.
3. Inspect Your Chimney
Safety regulatory agencies in various states recommend homeowners to inspect their chimneys at least once every year. During the inspection, you will identify creosote that built, cracks, and any debris in your chimneys and the fireplace. Get rid of all this built-up debris and repair the cracks to prevent any possible fire hazards. Such a timely fall cleaning exercise ensures that your fireplace and chimney are ready to keep your house warm in the coming winter period.
4. Check the Furniture at Your Patio
You need to assess your patio furniture for winter during fall cleaning for adequate preparations. The type of materials from which the furniture is made is likely to influence your fall cleaning options for these patio facilities. Dry the metallic furniture entirely after washing and cover with a sturdy enclosure. Hose the plastic furniture and towel off for appropriate storage to prevent cracking.
When cleaning the fabrics, shake off the cushions or vacuum them together with the umbrella for storage in the basement or garage. Fall cleaning your wooden furniture should involve washing and applying relevant oil to ensure the furniture maintains its color.
5. Extend the Fall Cleaning to the Furnace
The clogging that occurs in your air conditioning systems due to the accumulation of dust and insect refuse. Fall cleaning gives you the chance to inspect the grates and remove the dust from the output channel. Where possible, use a screwdriver to remove the grates and wash them using clean water and soap. Clean the sediments and germs before checking the filter of the system to replace it if need be.
6. Take time to Trim the Trees.
Weak tree trunks and tree limbs can bring profound damage due to the strong winds during winter. Thus, it is crucial to prune tree branches that appear weak to avoid impending destruction when winter session ensues. You may call an arborist to assist in identifying weak trunks that may fall soon as the next storm comes.
7. Wash Your Outdoor Rugs
You should clean your outdoor rugs as a fall cleaning checklist to get rid of the dirt that accumulates during summer. Clean the mats using a mixture of water and dish soap to get rid of dirt from these outdoor mats. Scrub the rags gently with a nylon brush before rinsing using a hose and allow them to dry.
