Looking Towards Spring

Even though we are still in the month of February, many of us are looking towards Spring and all its beauty! Believe it or not, there are a few easy tasks that you can do to prepare your home and outdoors before the weather breaks into the next season. Here are a few do-it-yourself projects to complete during those last few weeks of Winter.

Tidy Up the Beds

On those slightly "warmer" Winter days, go outdoors and start to rake out Winter debris from your flower beds and other landscaping you may have. Leaves, broken branches and other outdoor debris tend to collect over the Winter months. Turn up the soil so that you can add some much needed nutrients to the ground. Work in some compost into the soil for even better results. By freeing up the soil, this will promote growth for those spring blossoms that can’t wait to shoot up and show off their beauty.

Prepare Your Deck

Inspect your deck and see if it is in need of any repairs. Some damage may have gone unnoticed as you have not been using the deck for a few months now. Look for splits in the wood, popped nails and rusted nails. Repair these small problems before you decide to reseal the deck, which more than likely has to be done in Spring. But by prepping and fixing the smaller deck problems in advance, the resealing will go much smoother. To decide whether your deck needs to be resealed or not, pour some water onto the deck and see if the water beads up. If the water does bead, you do not need to reseal. However if the water doesn’t bead up, your deck does need to be resealed.

Be Sure to Stay Cool

Last year in May, we experienced an early heat wave and let me tell you, it was hot in my house and completely unexpected! We flicked on our air conditioning and noticed that the house was not getting cooler. We checked the thermostat and it was confirmed that air conditioner was on the fritz. Because the heat wave came upon us so suddenly we did not have a HVAC contractor come tune-up our air conditioning unit. Don’t be like me last year and wait too long to do this. Remember when that warmer weather hits, it is quite difficult to find a qualified HVAC contractor to come out right away. Take care of this project now, so that you’ll remain calm, cool and collected when that unexpected warmer weather hits.

Ann Martin is a freelance writer for Dinnerware Center, which offers a gorgeous collection of dinnerware styles and sets from many brands, including the Reed and Barton brand. They also carry an array of beautiful flatware, including Reed and Barton flatware sets. Ann is a freelance writer for other garden and cooking websites. When Ann is not writing, she enjoys reading the best sellers.

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