7 Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Home’s Exterior

Despite media depictions, spring cleaning isn’t just a chore for the interior of your home. Your home’s exterior can also benefit from thorough scrub down. These seven spring cleaning tips will get the outside of your house ready for sunny days, backyard barbecues, and relaxing evening chats on the porch.

1. Clean Your Siding or Bricks

Because your siding or brick exterior is one of the most visible parts of your home, this should be your prime focus. Although you may want to consider using a pressure washer to make the job as thorough as possible, keep in mind that very high settings could ruin your siding or dislodge some of the mortar between your bricks. In most cases, a typical garden hose along with a bucket of soapy water and a foam brush will do the trick.

2. Wash Your Windows

If your windows are looking a bit grimy or filmy, you will want to clean them at the same time as your siding. However, opt for a cleaning product that will not leave streaks on your windows. You can also use a squeegee to help reduce water spots.

3. Pressure Wash Your Driveway

Next, take a peek at your driveway, which may be looking dirty from snowmelt or sporting spots from leaking cars. You will first want to start removing stains by soaking up liquids with a drying before scrubbing them away with laundry detergent. In some cases, such as rust stains, only a professional spot remover may work. Finally, pressure wash your driveway and apply a sealant that can help resist future stains.

4. Clean Your Patio or Deck

If you have a concrete patio, you can apply the same principles used on your driveway to this surface. However, if you have a wooden deck, the area may need a bit more TLC. If the paint is peeling, the best thing to do is to scrape and repaint the deck. Don’t forget to clean your patio furniture with a bucket of warm, soapy water as well!

5. Maintain Your Roof

You should never use a pressure washer on your roof, but you can give it a simple cleaning with a roof broom or even your leaf blower. If you’d like to wash your roof, a simple mixture of soap and warm water will do the trick. At the same time, look for any damage that needs to be repaired by a roofing professional.

6. Remove Debris from Gutters

While you’re up on your ladder, another spring cleaning task to complete is cleaning out your gutters. Even if you did this last fall, you may need to do it again in the spring if you have trees that shed their leaves or needles later in the season. Consider the professional installation of leaf-proof gutters to avoid this problem in the future.

7. Spruce Up Your Flower Beds

Finally, take some time to clean up your landscaping to give your yard a finished look. Rake away leaves and debris that have accumulated in flower beds, and ensure that perennials have been trimmed correctly before they start growing or blooming—lay new mulch to provide a neat look and protect delicate plant roots.