June Home Maintenance Tips for your East Texas Home
June Home Maintenance Tips for your East Texas Home
June Home Maintenance Tips for your East Texas Home
It’s officially summer…and boy does it feel like it! Am I right?! We’ve been blessed with lots of rain this year, but you know at some point this summer we will likely be begging for the rain to come back. Before the summer sizzle begins, make sure your house is ready for the heat with these June home maintenance tips:
- Pantry Purgin’—This is a great time to clean out the refrigerator and the pantry! (If I say it with gusto points, it makes it sound fun, right?!) There’s no reason to store those condiments that expired in 2010—you’re never going to (and I wouldn’t recommend) using them. Cleaning out the expired food in your pantry won’t take long. You can get all of it done in less time than it would take to watch a 30 minute TV show.
- Water Works—Look around your property for any previously unseen water damage. Be sure to be on the lookout for any potential drainage issues. If you have drainage issues, you have likely noticed them in the past few weeks. If you have standing water or mushy spots, consider installing a French drain or filling in low spots. Most importantly, make sure water does not pool near the foundation and that guttering funnels the runoff at least 5 feet away from the foundation. Also, check your gutters for damage and repair any problem areas. If your gutters are rotted out or dumping water right by the foundation, they are probably doing more harm than good. Water damage can be epic in a very expensive way, so it is best to take care of it before it becomes a big problem.
- Yard Critter Prevention—All this rain makes for freakishly quick growing grass, and with tall grass comes critters setting up a homestead. Keep your yard mowed to prevent flea and tick infestations. Once they are in the yard, it is only a matter of time before they invade the house and they are even harder to get rid of once they are inside.
- Safety First—Once the sun comes out, everyone will be ready for some outdoor fun, but is your backyard ready? Loose nails, screws and splinters can put a serious damper on backyard fun. Inspect any outside play equipment (swing sets, trampolines, pools, etc.) and backyard furniture for dangers. Tighten bolts, check for rotted parts and fix any other unsafe problems before they end a day in tears.
- Propane Prepped—This is an easy but important one! Be ready to BBQ on a moment’s notice by checking the propane tank levels and cleaning the interior and exterior of the grill. There’s nothing worse than having steaks marinated and ready to grill, only to find out you’re out of propane.
It’s already oppressively hot and although you may need a pep talk to make yourself get out there to do it, it will be worth it. Preventative maintenance goes a long way towards keeping your house in excellent shape. A little work now will prevent big expensive headaches in the future!
Lisa Priest is already cranking on the A/C and is a Palestine, Texas Broker/REALTOR® with Picket Fence Realty, Inc. You can reach her via phone or text at 903-948-3343 or read more at BuyPalestine.com.
