Outdoor Spring Cleaning Guide

We are about to enter into our second spring as homeowners, and this year I'm determined to pay as much attention to the outside of our home as I do the inside. However, I know that just saying I want to do something doesn't necessarily mean I will get it done, so I've decided to create a guide to help me get started.

Here are three outdoor spring cleaning chores that are topping my to-do list.

Conquering the flower beds

We have four different flower beds surrounding our home, and I must admit they aren't in the best shape. My first task will be to remove all the old mulch, stone, and garden plastic from the beds. Then, I plan to trim, move, or remove some of the old, oddly shaped plants. Once that is complete, I plan to fill in the empty spaces with new a selection of perennials, put down new garden plastic, and top it off with new garden pebbles.

Clearing the way for spring showers

We don't have any trees in our yard, but our neighbor's trees are kind enough to fill our yard with leaves. Those leaves may make our yard look festive in the fall, but they can be a pain as spring approaches. To prevent any water issues my husband and I will clean out gutters, and replace the gutter shields we had to remove when we replaced our roof last year. We will also be unclogging all the ditch drains, so the rain waters do not flood our yard.

Removing winter's grit

I must admit until I became a homeowner I had no idea how dirty winter was. Our concrete driveways, sidewalks, and porches get quite messy from the ice salt we spread around to keep from slipping. The first step to cleaning the concrete will be to lightly dust the concrete with Arm & Hammer washing soda, which can be picked up at most big-box stores. Then, we will use a wet shop broom to scrub away the dirt and stains. Once we've gone over the entire surface, we will use a power washer to spray everything clean.

We will also have to clean the windows, but that's a pretty easy job since Windex sells a cleaner in a bottle that hooks to a standard water hose.

While outdoor spring cleaning may sound silly, these are things that must be done. I'm hopeful that this little guide will get me off to a great start.