Spring cleaning is a popular expression. It’s a time when people clear their homes of any remnants of winter. It’s also deeply rooted in religious tradition.
In Jewish tradition, the start of Passover is marked by cleaning one’s home of any leavened bread, according to the Jewish Virtual Library. Catholics, on the other hand, clean their church altars on the day before Good Friday. The Persian New year also falls on spring, so residents often celebrate this by cleaning the house, spending time with loved ones, and buying new stuff, lifestyle magazine Country Living stated in their article about the tradition’s origins around the world.
For some, spring cleaning is more than just keeping things tidy and dust-free. Utah’s cold season, for instance, can do a number on a home’s interior and exterior, so proper inspection and maintenance should also be considered. Here are tips to keep your home in tip-top shape as the warm season starts to make its way here.
Tidy up Your Landscape
Your landscape is the most vulnerable part of your home to winter damage. The snow can kill plants and cause a fungus infestation on your lawn. Start by raking off debris like fallen leaves and dead grass from your landscape. Inspect your yard for any weeds and pick them off. You may also kill these pesky lawn invaders with herbicide. Just be careful that you don’t spray it on the plants you want to keep. You should also add fertilizer before you water your lawn, to keep it healthy.
Once you’re done tending to the grass, move on to the other plants like trees and shrubs. If they were wrapped for winter, now’s a good time to set them free. Give them a fresh bed of mulch and prune their dead branches. Repeat the process of fertilizing and watering the soil as well.
Clean Your Home’s Exterior
Now that you’re done with your landscape maintenance, it’s time to check the exterior of the house. Start by checking if there are any cracks or warping on your wall. If you find any small cracks, you can always use a bottle of caulk to seal it.
Next, look for masonry cracks in the foundation. If you find any irreparable damage to your wall and foundation, you may need to call a general contractor in Utah to inspect those issues and make a plan to repair them. They could spot problems you may have overlooked, such as missing shingles on your roof or deterioration in your window’s weather sealing.
Don’t Forget the Inside
Spring cleaning is much less mundane when you have help. If you have people living with you, ask them to join you in dusting the tops of cabinets and furniture, mopping the floors, scrubbing dirt and grime on kitchen countertops, and other chores. Split up to look for any leaks and mold in the dark corners of your home like the attic and basement. Sealant from the local hardware store should do the trick if you find any leaks. If you see mold, however, you might want to consult a professional — as inhaling toxic levels of it can be dangerous to your health. You’ll have a better time breathing when you can’t smell the musky odor of mildew when you go into a room.
Seasonal maintenance is hard work, but it’s well worth the effort when your home is as beautiful and clean as spring weather. Once you’ve finished your maintenance project, you can sit back on your patio and enjoy the warm season ahead. You’ve earned it.
