Spring!
Time to swap your snow blower for a rake and your mittens for a pair of
gardening gloves. Over the winter, there has been stuff going on under those
mountains of snow. As you transition from winter to spring, there are some
important chores that need tending to.
As
soon as the snow is gone, clean up any leaves, twigs, dead grass, etc. in order
to allow for new growth. Also, cut off any dead branches from trees and shrubs.
Survey
any destruction to your lawn sustained over the winter. Depending on the amount
of damage, you may be able to do the repairs yourself with a bag of grass seed
or you may have to hire professionals to hydro seed your lawn.
Check
your roof for any missing shingles or tabs. If you need to call a roofer, it is
better to call them now considering when the construction season gets into full
gear it will be more difficult and a longer wait time to get a service call
answered. If your roof has asphalt shingles and there are crows about, beware!
Crows have been known to destroy roofs over period of time because they are
after the tiny bits of gravel on each shingle. Head on over to the Internet for
various ways to dissuade the crows or banish them all together.
If
you have an outdoor water tap, ensure that there is no leak in the pipe. If
water was inadvertently left in the tap and froze over the winter, the pipe may
have burst. If you turn the tap on without first checking the pipe, you could
have water pouring into your home instead of onto your lawn.
Even
if your barbeque has been covered for the winter, you should check that all
connections to the propane tank are secure with no damage or leaks in the line.
Cover the lines with soap suds. When you turn on the propane, any leaks will
cause bubbles to form.
If
you want specific shrubs or trees for your landscaping needs, place your order
at your local nursery early so you can have first pick of what is available.
You should also ask nursery staff what is new for the season.
Many
people change the batteries in their smoke detectors and carbon monoxide
detectors when the time changes for daylight saving. If you have not done so,
now is an opportune time to be sure those life saving alarms are in good
working order.
Turn
on your air conditioning to be sure the system does not have any issues. At
this time of year, you can easily get someone to come for a service call. You
do not want to wait until the first heat wave to find out your air conditioner
isn't working. This is the same time everyone else will be finding out issues
in their systems and technicians will be difficult to get and wait times can be
long for service.
Salt
is a corrosive material that will damage your concrete garage floor. If you
have a garage, you should wash out all of the salt so there is no damage to the
concrete structure.
Due
to the unprecedented amount of snow received this past winter, you must check
for flooding in the lowest level of your home even if you have never had any
flooding issues in the past. Your house
insurance will not cover flooding caused by melting snow unless you have a
specific endorsement on your policy.
This
is a good time of year to check your dryer vent attachment. Over the course of
many months, the attachment that runs from the dryer to the outdoor vent can
become dislodged and/or clogged which could lead to a fire. If you are still
using a plastic dryer hose, immediately invest in a metal one. Due to the fire
hazard, plastic vent material is no longer to code.
Take
advantage of spring clean up day that is offered in many communities. It is a
perfect opportunity to dispose of things that are no longer needed and are
taking up space around your home.
Every
home should have an emergency kit and an escape route for occupants in case of
an emergency. Your emergency kit should include enough supplies for everyone
for a three day period. The contents should include the following: Water (a person
requires one gallon of water per day and enough water for three days.), non
perishable food products to feed each person in the household for three days,
battery powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA weather radio with tone alert
and extra batteries for both, flash light and extra batteries, first aid kit,
whistle to signal for help, dusk mask to help filter contaminated air and
plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter in place, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal
sanitation), wrench or pliers to turn off utilities (it is important to know
where the shut offs are for things like your gas and electricity), manual can
opener for food, a supply of cash (banking machines may not be working, as well
as the debit or credit card payment options at stores) (though unethical and
sometimes illegal, vendors have been known to overly inflate prices of items
their patrons would need in the case of a catastrophe), cell phone with solar
charger, prescription medication and extra glasses, pet food and water, copies
of important documents, fire extinguisher. Additional item suggestions of what
to include can be found here http://www.ready.gov/kit. Also, be sure to
practice that escape route with all members of the household!
Handling
these tasks now while they are maintenance issues will save you money later
when neglected chores become costly repairs.
Get the whole family involved and these items will fly off your list,
leaving you plenty of time to get out and enjoy the spring weather.
Pauline
Milner
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