How to prepare your home for summer!

It may not feel like it right now, but summer is right around the corner. We’re sure you’re looking forward to backyard barbecues and some of you have probably opened the pool, but there are some other (slightly less exciting) home maintenance tasks that you should do this month. 

As always, we referenced Tarion’s home maintenance checklist for some things you should be doing around your home this month, and we’ve expanded on a few of the items. 

Inspect your air conditioning 

We’re guessing you haven’t even considered turning the air conditioning on yet. May was pretty chilly and June doesn’t have soaring temperatures in the forecast. But, you don’t want to discover that your air conditioning doesn’t work on the first scorching day of the summer. 

Check your exterior unit and remove any debris. There are likely leaves, spider webs and other unidentifiable things tangled up in the unit. The cover grille should come off easily so you can clean any debris out of the interior of the unit. If you’re feeling up to it, you can straighten any bent fins or add lubricating oil to the motor. If anything other than clearing away debris is outside your comfort zone and you suspect there’s something wrong with the unit, then call a professional. 

Fertilize your lawn

The best time to fertilize your lawn is right now because it’s not too cold and not too hot. If you wait until later in the summer, the soil may be too warm. If you have a large lawn, you should use a rotary spreader to evenly distribute the fertilizer, but use a drop spreader or handheld spreader for smaller, tighter areas. 

A day or two before fertilizing, you should water your lawn, wait for it to dry, then fertilize, then water again. This guarantees there’s enough moisture for the fertilizer to be effective. If you want to aerate your lawn, you should do it before fertilizing. 

Check your shed and garage     

During the winter, your shed and garage are used for storage. In the summer, you need access to more of your things, like gardening tools. Now’s the time to do a thorough inspection of your shed and garage; take inventory of your items, make sure nothing was damaged over the winter, and make sure you have easy access to things you use on a more regular basis. 

Inspect window and door sealing

This one is something you should do in conjunction with checking on your air conditioning unit. You want the sealing around your windows and doors to be solid because if there are leaks, then cool air will escape your home. This means your home will likely not reach your desired temperature and your air conditioning unit will have to work harder. You can avoid a lot of wasted energy and discomfort by inspecting your windows and doors before the summer heat hits. 

As always, you should also take this opportunity to test and check your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. We hope these tips help you get your home ready for summer!