These summer cleaning checklist will help you sort out things and act as a guide on what to prioritize.
Outdoor Maintenance
- Pressure wash driveway, pathways, decks, and outdoor
Cleaning your driveway can make your entrance look better and new again by removing dirt. It also offers health benefits such as preventing algae and molds from building up. It also reduces the risk of random “slip & slide” accidents. Your neighbors other by-passers would appreciate seeing clean driveways.
- Clean Down pipes and Gutters
Gutters and down-pipes clogged up because they are not cleaned regularly. It can cause a serious damage to your property since water won’t flow properly during heavy rains. Damp build up can cause health issues to your family because it can act as a breeding ground for mosquito’s.
Mosquito’s are known to carry serious diseases and viruses such as malaria, dengue, yellow fever, elephantiasis and more.
- Clean exterior windows including fly screens
Fly-screens are great because homeowners can enjoy both sunlight and fresh air while filtering unwanted visitors such as flies and insects from getting inside the house.
However if your fly screens are dirty then it can block fresh air from entering inside the house at the same time covering your screens with dust and dirt.
- Check the sprinkler and irrigation system
Sprinklers are a perfect addition in keeping your lawn lush green and fresh.While it also needs a good irrigation system so that water would properly be distributed to your yard.
If your sprinklers are not well maintained then your lawn will look dry and dull. You could be wasting a lot of water if your irrigation system is not functioning well because water are wasted since they are not properly distributed.
- Re-oil the Deck, Timber Gates and any other external woodwork
Oiling the deck adds protection from the damaging UV rays which can deplete and cause the wood to crack. Properly oiled and well maintained woods can last up to 2 years or even more depending on the kind of maintenance.
Oiling your deck and other timber properties can extend the lifespan of the wood because it protects it from water, fungus and mold that literally degrades the wood decreasing the lifespan.
- Clean up the garden: prune trees, trim hedges, cut the grass and weed garden beds
Removing damaged branches can make your trees healthy making way for new branches to grow. At the same time it creates a strong structure because the natural tree form is preserve.
Pruning trees can enhance safety hazards especially dead branches that randomly falls causing random accidents and damage to property.
- Clean the Pool
Keeping your pool clean can save a lot of expenses because it needs proper maintenance such as chemical balance of the water, inspecting the pump, check for broken tiles, filter and other leaks. Pool should also be cleaned after it has been used by a lot of people in a certain occasion.
- Wash Out Garbage Bins
Even if the waste management collector have collected your trash. Garbage bins should be washed regularly because of the random tidbits and liquids that can cause an awful smell. This liquid spills can produce tremendous awful smell that can last for several days.
- Clean out pet houses and wash bedding
Keep your pets healthy by providing them a clean place to sleep and stay. It’s a necessity to clean their place to enhance sanitary benefits and avoiding from parasite infestation.
- Check for wasp nests or spiders around the eves of the house. Remove or organise a pest removal service.
A wasp nest can be a real hazard both indoor and outdoor because of the health treat it brings to your family. Getting stung by this insects are really painful and sometimes it causes itching and allergies.
Wasp can live inside your house and they can be found inside the walls and the eves of your house.
INSIDE THE HOME
- Interior Pest Inspection
Don’t share your home with pests because your family’s health is in danger when these pests are around infesting your home. Conducting an interior pest inspection can eliminate their breeding grounds.
- Wash interior windows including window ledges and frames
Having clean windows during summer time allows natural light to enter the house reducing your energy bill up to 6 hours or more.
- Clean the oven
Cleaning the oven can be a huge and challenging task. But it can reduce your monthly energy consumption at the same time it allows you to cook tastier foods. It can also prevent fire accidents by preventing of burnt out foods.
A clean oven offers health benefits by avoiding potential health risk. Over cooked and burnt foods are very harmful and dangerous to your health because it’s cancerous.
- Empty and wipe out fridge/freezer shelves, drawers and doors
Having a clean fridge promotes a healthy living. Wiping out spills and liquids can freshen up and release extra bad odor that’s trapped inside your fridge/freezer.
Bonus: Use activated charcoal to eliminate stinky odor
- Check the air conditioning system, clean the filter and arrange a service if necessary
It’s very important to detect any aircon issues and failures so that it will be attended right away. It would add comfort during summer time if you have a reliable air condition. It would also be convenient if you have visitors that are staying for a while.
- Wipe down fan blades and air vents
Ceiling fans and blades are highly attracted to dust. And whenever dust is present then dust mites are also available which brings allergies, itchy eyes, coughing and sinus infections.
- Clean out the pantry; throw away expired food goods and donate excess items
Foods that are left too long are very dangerous to eat and can cause serious illness such as food poisoning. A clean pantry should be preserve since it’s the best place where foods are prepared and eaten.
Bonus: Invest on clear glass jars so that you can see what’s stored on that specific container.
- Dust walls, corners, behind furniture etc and get rid of cobwebs
Cobwebs can collect dust and dirt if not removed. If your house have a lot of cobwebs it simply means that it’s a breeding ground for creepy crawlers.
- Clean Scuff marks on walls
Not ignoring early signs of scuff marks can save you some money because the earlier they are treated the better. Since you won’t need a paint touch-up to remove or cover those marks on the walls.
- Dry/steam clean lounge furniture, carpets and mattresses
A clean carpet can enhance comfort and appearance of your home. Regularly cleaning your carpet can also extend the lifespan of it.
The most undeniable benefit that a clean carpet brings is the improvement of your family’s healthy.
Having a clean carpet can prevent:
- Mold growth
- Remove dust and mite infestation which brings allergies and itching.
- Remove pet hair and fur
- Remove deep down dirt and bacteria
- Increase life span of your carpet
Replace batteries in smoke alarm
Avoid the chirp sound and prevent unexpected fire by replacing your smoke alarm batteries.
Now that you have the ultimate checklist the infographic below will help you clean your home in less than an hour.
image credit: halfprice
Now that you have all the necessary tools and check list in order to clean your house whats stopping you from cleaning your home. If you learn something on this article feel free to share it.