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Done With Winter? 12 Things You Can Do Now to Prep for Spring

Don’t wait until spring has actually sprung to get ready for the change of seasons. As milder weather approaches and you await the return to outdoor living, there’s more to do around your home—both indoors and out—than just spring cleaning. Here are 12 tasks to tackle now to make springtime safer, easier, and more enjoyable.

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Clean Rain Gutters

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Wind, animals, and gravity bring sticks, leaves, and other organic matter into your rain gutters, and chances are yours have accumulated their share of detritus over the winter. That’s bad news for your home: When downspouts are clogged, rainwater can spill out of your gutters and around the perimeter of your house, putting it at risk for leaks and flooding. Get ready for spring showers by removing the mess from your gutters to ensure that the water will flow freely.

Related: 6 Signs You Need New Gutters

Change Filters

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To maintain optimal air quality in your home, it’s a good idea to replace your HVAC system’s air filter seasonally as well as the filter in your kitchen range hood. While you’re at it, consider changing the filters in your water purification system. Depending on your water, you might not need to change these as often as your HVAC filters, but it’s not a bad idea to check them now. So, go ahead and welcome spring with new filters all around to keep your home clean and fresh, and your appliances in good working order.

Related: 7 Ways to Restart Your Home for Spring

Check Vents

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As snow melts away from your home’s foundation, it’s a good time to check any vents along the foundation or in the attic. Look for missing or damaged screens, debris, signs of insect or rodent infestation, or other issues, and correct them before they have a chance to become bigger problems later in the season.

Related: 12 Surprising Ways Spring Cleaning Can Backfire

Service the Lawn Mower

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Get your lawn mower ready for the season with a tune-up. If you didn’t do it in the fall, now’s the time to drain and replace oil, sharpen the blades, remove caked-on grass and mud, and lubricate moving parts.

Related: 10 Low-Cost Solutions for an Ugly Lawn

Prep the Gas Grill

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After a long winter spent cooped up indoors, you’re probably eager for a sunny day and a burger hot off the grill. Get your outdoor cooking station ready for spring by scraping away any rust spots that developed over the winter, cleaning the grill inside and out, and checking the fuel tank hose for damage.

Related: The Top 8 Ways to Hack Your Grill

Clean Backyard Furniture

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As the weather warms up, outdoor entertaining may be just around the corner. Prepare for warmer days ahead by thoroughly hosing down all backyard furniture—chairs, tables, and lounge chairs—wiping away cobwebs, and bringing outdoor chair cushions out of winter storage.

Related: The Best Outdoor Furniture for Under $100

Pamper the Lawn

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Once the danger of frost has passed and your grass starts to come out of winter dormancy, it’s time to jump-start your spring lawn-care routine. Address winter damage to your turf by seeding bare patches—although if you do reseed at this time of year, you should avoid spring applications of chemical weed or crabgrass treatments, which can harm new grass. Then get a head start on weed prevention by manually removing broadleaf weeds before they have a chance to multiply. For cool-season grasses, spread a light application of fertilizer in early spring; for warm-season grasses, fertilization can wait until late spring or early summer.

Related: Rejuvenate Your Lawn with 7 Spring Musts

Groom Shrubs and Trees

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Winter storms can be hard on your landscaping, resulting in broken tree limbs, ragged shrubs, and a garden full of organic debris. Get your yard ready for spring by removing broken or damaged branches, pruning summer-blooming trees and shrubs like butterfly bush and crepe myrtle, and raking up fallen leaves.

Related: Your Guide to Spring Cleaning Your Home’s Exterior

Check the Roof

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Take advantage of the sun’s return to check your roof for cracked or missing shingles or tiles, and examine flashing around vents and the chimney for damage. While you’re at it, have the chimney cleaned and inspected by a professional.

Related: 10 Life-Changing Tools for Easier Spring Cleaning

Plant Bulbs

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Spring is the ideal time to plant summer-blooming flowers, which include beauties like dahlias and gladioli. Go ahead and get them into the ground as soon as the danger of frost has passed.

Related: 10 Foolproof Flowers Anyone Can Grow

Clean Windows

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Winter storms and rain can leave your windows streaked and dirty. Improve your view of mellower weather and let more sun into the house by cleaning windows, both inside and out.

Related: Lose the Drapes: 12 Better Ways to Dress a Window

Test Alarms

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Let the change of season be your reminder to test all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors for proper functioning. Change batteries if necessary. Alarms can malfunction as they age, so if yours are older than seven years, consider replacing them.

Related: 10 Things Your Local Fire Department Wishes You Knew

Spring in Your Step

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It’s been a long, cold winter. Take on these projects during the weekends, and by the time you tick them off your list, the warm weather should be here!

 
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