Home Love
02/08
February is all about showing love toward others, but don’t forget to show your home some love, too! Here in Alabama, February is somewhat of a transition month. We have just a little bit of winter left to get through, while spring awaits in March.
To get ready, tackle a few simple (and maybe even fun) home maintenance tasks in and around your house to show your home some love and get ready for spring weather.
Show Your Home Some Love With These Home Maintenance Tasks
While many of these ideas are all about the home itself, some are geared more toward the lifestyle of many of our residents at The Waters. We spend so much time outdoors, so getting tools and equipment ready for that is also important right now.
Here are some exterior home project ideas to get you through these last few cold weeks and ready for spring:
- Clean off porches – Porches at The Waters are basically extra room space. Homes extend outside with screened porches, patios, firepit areas, and more. Remove all leaves, pinestraw, and other debris from these areas by sweeping, using a leaf blower, or pressure washing. It’s also a great time to inspect the treads on your porches to make sure they don’t need to be re-stained.
- Clean patio and porch furniture — Outside furniture can also accumulate leaves and other debris during winter, but it’s usually pretty easy to clean it off. Give the furniture a good scrub, if needed.
- Clean up the golf cart – We love golf cards at The Waters, and many people have their own. They may need to be washed to get off any winter grunge, and you may also need to add distilled water to the batteries. Check tires as well to see if air needs to be added or if any need to be replaced.
- Pull bikes out of storage – Biking is another favorite pastime in our neighborhood. If bikes have been put away for the winter, it’s time to get them out, check tires, and make sure they are ready to go when the weather warms up.
- Fluff pine straw — Pine straw can become packed down during winter weather, so do a little work to make it look nice again. This simple act can go a long way in making your home look fresh and inviting.
- Spruce up your exterior entryway — Sweep away leaves and remove any old, dead potted plants. It’s probably a bit early to add spring flowers, but make sure everything is ready when the time comes.
Don’t forget about the interior of your home! Here are some ideas that you can do inside this month:
- Clean your interior entryway — Floors, in particular, may need a deep clean to remove any residue from wet boots and muddy shoes. Go ahead and clean the boots and shoes, too. It may be time to put some of the heaviest winter gear away and pull out lighter jackets and other equipment for spring.
- Test carbon monoxide and smoke detectors — This task should be completed a few times each year, and the transition from winter to spring is a great opportunity. Make sure everything works, and replace batteries as needed.
- Get rid of any accumulated dust — In the winter when we don’t tend to open windows as often or turn on fans as much, dust can accumulate quickly. Take down curtains to wash or vacuum, dust window blinds, and dust ceiling fans.
- Clean interior windows — It may still be a little chilly to wash windows from the outside, but you can definitely give them a good cleaning from the inside. This will help get your entire home ready to let in the beautiful spring light!
- Indulge in fresh flowers — Whether they are for Valentine’s Day, or you enjoy them all month long, fresh flowers in the home will add some color and cheer to these last weeks of winter.
Nothing will get you more excited about spring than showing your home some extra love this month to get it ready for a new season. Happy Valentine’s Day!
