Spring Maintenance Checklist
Inside the Home
To enjoy the spring and prepare for summer, be sure everything is in working order.
- Inspect ceiling and room fans, and clean the blades
- Clean screens for doors and windows before hanging in place
- Examine and repair screens in doors and windows
- Wash windows to enjoy the longer days
- Check exhaust fans and vents, and clean and remove any buildup
- Change air conditioner filters
- Check smoke detectors
- Spray for insects
- Clean out the fireplace, removing ashes and inspecting any moving parts and gaskets
- Do your spring cleaning
- Dust walls and ceilings
- Clean and condition woodwork
- Clean curtains and draperies
- Wash and polish furniture
- Examine plumbing, including toilets, faucets, and drains
- Look for swarms of termites around the house
Outside the Home
With spring rains approaching and summer on the way, take some time to check the exterior of your home.
- Check the roof for winter wear and tear
- Clean gutters and downspouts
- Check lightning rods and grounds
- Equip everything protruding from your roof with a lightning arrester
- Check and maintain the evaporative cooler
- Service the air conditioner and clean the condenser coils
- Repair cracks in siding and shingles
- Examine and repair caulking in windows
- Find your main sewer line and carefully remove any trees near it; roots seek out moisture and may eventually destroy pipes
- Trim trees and shrubs away from exterior walls and roof
- Check the outdoor barbecue for insects, spiders, and birds—and remove them
- Condition the deck
- Hammer in loose or protruding nails, or replace them with galvanized deck screws
- Replace broken boards and rails
- Clean dirt and mildew from the wood, and then apply an all-weather sealer or stain
- Set up patio furniture
- Check fences, and repair any broken fence boards
- Clean the pool
In the Garage
During the spring, your garage is a comfortable place to prepare for summer.
- Clean the garage to gear up for summer projects
- Bag up items that you no longer use, and haul away or donate them
- Inspect your yard and garden tools to be sure they’re ready for use
- Tune up your lawnmower
- Check for leaks in the doors and repair them
- Check for places that need to be painted and take care of them
- Examine and repair the weather stripping at the bottom of the garage door
- Lubricate garage door tracks, hinges, and rollers
- Lubricate entrance door hinges and check weather stripping
In the Yard
The freezing and thawing of winter can cause damage to trees, walkways, and entryways.
- Check trees for dead and dying branches and remove them
- Examine outdoor steps and walkways, straightening or repairing as necessary
- Check the grout between bricks and flagstones, repairing if necessary
- Check the gates, and lubricate latches and hinges
- Regrade where necessary
- Replant any trees, shrubs, or plants that have been uprooted by winter storms
In the Garden
With the arrival of spring, you can begin your early garden work.
- Fill your birdfeeders in time for migrating species
- Add mulch to your flowers and trees
- Fertilize the lawn, trees, and flower beds
- Prune dead branches from shrubs
- Clear flower beds of frozen blooms and leaves
- Turn the compost
- Use a mulching mower to spread clippings evenly over the lawn to fertilize naturally
- Loosen the soil around perennials
- Plant annuals
- Plant your vegetable garden
- Turn on outdoor water supply
- Hook up the garden hose, and inspect it for cracks or leaks
