Summer Homeowner Tips

Northside’s Favorite Homeowner Tips for Summer

For most of us, summer is a great escape – we finally get to book that vacation we’ve been planning for years and unwind. During the warmer months, it can be easy to neglect your home while you’re away. It may not be ideal, but summer is a great time to get ahead of some of the necessary maintenance tasks around your house. 

Here are some of our favorite maintenance tips for the summer:

Clean your home’s exterior

Summer is the perfect time to clean the exterior of your home, especially your roof, gutters and downspouts. 

Not only do stains, moss, and bacteria that make for dingy roofs, sidings, and decks take away from your home’s curb appeal, it can also contribute to other issues and even shorten the lifespan of your home. Plus, the heat and humidity in Arkansas can cause mold and mildew to grow rapidly on your home’s exterior. 

Clean out your gutters and downspouts while power washing away all the dirt, mold, and grime that’s built up over the past year.

Examine windows and doors

Nothing is more frustrating than an outrageously high air conditioning bill in the summer. It helps to ensure your windows and doors seal tightly and function properly to conserve the cool air from your AC. This is also a good time to wash your windows and doors and replace any broken screens.

Prevent bug infestations 

Maintaining a yard without insects and pests is definitely easier said than done. Spraying the perimeter of your home with an outdoor bug spray is a good start. You can also purchase bug zappers to help keep your yard a relaxing oasis. 

Schedule HVAC cleaning/maintenance

One could argue that your HVAC system is the most important part of summer. It’s smart to schedule a cleaning to ensure the fan is functioning well, the coils are clean, the filter is replaced and there isn’t faulty wiring.

Inspect attic or basement

Check both your attic and basement for any evidence of pests, water damage, mold, mildew or leaks. It’s important to get ahead of the situation before it becomes a bigger issue.

Prune flowers, bushes, and trees 

Summer is a great time to beautify your yard, so if you feel like you ran out of time to do it this spring, don’t fret! 

Adding mulch to your flower beds is a quick, easy way to create a clean appearance. Mulch also reduces weeds and locks in moisture, keeping plants thriving in the warmer temperature. Pruning bushes, plants, and trees to keep them away from your home’s exterior, roof, and central air conditioning unit is also a good summer task.

Give lawnmower a tune-up

It’s easy for lawnmowers to rust or get clogged, but routine cleaning can help prevent future problems. 

If dry grass is stuck between the blades, it can reduce the efficacy of the blades. To properly clean your lawnmower, you should clean the deck of the mower by ensuring the gas tank is empty, disconnecting the spark plug, and hosing the deck with a garden hose. You can also use brushes to remove the more clumped dirt and grass.  

You should clean your lawnmower about once a month during peak season, and at the end of each season, it’s smart to give your lawnmower a thorough cleaning before putting it away for the winter.

Servicing home generator 

If you have any questions about maintaining or repairing your home generator, give us a call at 501-315-7213 or head over to our website. We offer plenty of service and maintenance plans to ensure your generator is ready for the next power outage.