I doubt that anybody is too shaken up by the fact that we just had the winter that never was (at least in the North East of the US). If you’re like me, you probably wish it was a bit colder, but don’t mind the lack of snow we saw since November 2019.
Also, if you’re reading this now, you’re probably aware of the biggest news in the media today (The Coronavirus), which means you’re practicing good hygiene! Let’s stick with that theme with the first way to step into Spring 2020.
1 – Get the house/apartment cleaned out!
That’s right, “Spring cleaning” is a real thing, and not just a saying that people use when they throw out your favorite things in the garage that you haven’t seen or used in six years.
Open up the windows in your home.
If you have plastic covering your windows for insulation purposes over the long winter, now would be a good time to remove it, or opening the windows won’t make much sense.
With the breeze bustling through your home, break out the cleaning supplies, rags (old t-shirts work well), and the vacuum.
Start wiping down everything but the family dog. — On second thought, give the dog a bath too if it’s a warm enough day, or go to the groomer once your chores are done.
Basically you want to get past the winter version of your home. The weather has been nice enough, most people have probably had their windows open to get the stale air out and fresh air in by now.
Get things wiped down, vacuumed, mop the poor kitchen floor, dust the top of the refrigerator and the top of the door trim that you “can’t see” too.
Wash all of your bedding sheets, comforters, pillowcases [You really should have done this a few times over the winter, but I’m not here to judge].
2 – Clean up your property
This goes for apartment dwellers too. I don’t care if you pay rent and it’s not your responsibility, clean up the space that you use, sweep your parking spot, clear in front of your door or wipe down the outside of your door.
Don’t take my advice and make your landlord hate you though; if that’s the case, just leave it alone.
For the homeowners over here, you have a lot more work to do, but you already knew that.
Check for fallen trees and/or stray limbs
Walk your land, especially if you own a few acres or more.
Few things ruin your day like heading out to cut the grass for the first time and finding a large tree down. Especially when you’ve got friends/family coming over for a season opener BBQ the next day!
If you’re dealing with removing medium sized dead wood yourself, you should have a homeowners chainsaw (or the number of a friend or professional who can help out).
If you’re confident in using a saw, but have never had one, now is a great time to pick up a new Stihl chainsaw. [I recommend an MS170 for a homeowner].
You have to find a dealer for Stihl, since they aren’t sold at Home Depot (because they take pride in their equipment, and it’s worth it).
Got leaves?
Yeah you do. Don’t try to lie your way out of this like the time you were “too busy” to go to the bar with that co-worker who never stops talking about their pug named Dave.
It’s important to clear dead leaves for a few reasons:
- They stop your grass from growing efficiently, and make damp/muddy areas.
- Do you want to deal with a yellow jacket nest under that pile of leaves that you didn’t feel like moving?
- Ticks… Need I say more?
So break out that rake, or leaf blower and at least get them to the wood line of your property with the rest of it’s family [unless you’re in a neighborhood, then bag those suckers up or put them curbside for town pickup if it’s available].
Fill in any holes, rake out any rocks
For some reason our front yard always has divots in it when the snow melts and the muddy Spring rolls around.
Fill in any areas that you want to look better, or that get any foot traffic (you don’t want to roll those glass ankles of yours).
If you have any loose stones scattered in your lawn, get those out of there before the lawn mower becomes an over-powered BB gun and shatters your livingroom windows and your dreams of a vacation this year.
Put it away, dude… Your snowblower should be stored by now.
Definitely follow the steps to properly store your equipment.
- Put stabilizer in the fuel tank.. DO IT NOW. Run it for 15 minutes, then shut it off (and you can empty the rest of the fuel out of it if you want).
- Place it out of the way where you won’t need to squeeze between it and your garage shelf to get to your work bench.
3 – Start the projects!
Break out the note pad, and while you’re checking out your property and cleaning up, figure out what projects you want to get done this year.
Is it finally time to fence in the back yard, or get a pool?
The sky is the limit here.
Well.. By “the sky”, I really mean your bank account. I don’t recommend going into more debt if you have a mortgage.
Be sure to get the input from your family on any projects that could benefit everyone for this outdoor season!
Get it built before the heatwave!
I know, it’s tough to get moving on these things when there are so many video games that need to be played.
Some projects I might be interested in addressing are:
- Patio/gathering area for hosting parties. [BBQ Pit anyone?]
- Repairing/Replacing or building a deck for relaxing on mild summer nights.
- Home updates. Spring is a great opportunity to get the roof repaired before the summer sun beats down and your AC has to work overtime to keep everyone comfortable.
- Garage Storage. Bike rack/utility rack, work bench, etc.
Enjoy every second of it, Summer will be here in a blink, and so will the humid, buggy weather.
The Handy Writer 