32% of homeowners have been putting off a home maintenance or improvement job for 12 months or more, according to a study reported by the New York Post. As spring draws near, home owners are dreading the long list of spring cleaning chores after a frigid and heavy winter. This spring, spruce up your to-do list with these easy, achievable home and garden maintenance tasks that don’t require months of labor-intensive work and can be completed as a family.

Home Care Needs

One of the most pressing maintenance needs after a winter full of snow and precipitation is a thorough gutter clean. Especially if left neglected after the buildup of fall foliage, cleaning gutters is a must once springtime hits. Gutter cleaning should be at the top of all homeowner’s list for “musts” for outdoor maintenance for spring, mostly because the weight of a full gutter can create a domino effect of costly repairs elsewhere. If left untreated, gutter repairs cause damage which cost over $300 on average, and can range in the thousands if an entire new gutter unit is necessary.

Power-wash to Perfection: Cleaning with the Family

Other home care maintenance needs for spring include cleaning the appearance of screens, windows, and sidewalks/porches. Power-washing walkways, deep cleaning windows, door frames, and screens is another spring cleaning must. Wondering how to get your kids involved? These can easily be completed as a family with a parent handling the power-washing especially if using an air compressor and children using the old-fashioned (but effective) bucket and sponge method. By cleaning these areas, you can prevent the buildup of nasty limescale and mildew, leaving the exterior of your home shiny and new. After power-washing you can then get a better idea of areas of your home that might need a paint touch up or a new coat altogether.

Liven Up Your Landscape

Spring maintenance isn’t limited to the home, however. Another area that needs attention is your garden. After removing all the debris from winter, home owners should pay careful attention to grooming: trim the lawn, the hedges, and the trees. Once all the greenery gets a nice “trim”, the addition of mulch can help revitalize the soil and improve the appearance of a tidy garden. Then consider adding the floral features to your landscape. Take your kids to your local gardening store and pick out pansies, lilacs, and tulips which all add nice pops of color and suit well as early-spring flowers.

These home and garden maintenance tasks are simple, anxiety-free ways to spruce up the appearance of your home. Worrisome, never-ending to-do lists become things of the past with these achievable and quick spring maintenance ideas. Furthermore, you are leading by example to show your kids that a little bit of maintenance goes a long way.