With the summer season soon approaching, you may be thinking about your upcoming vacation, beaches, barbeques and pretty much any other activity that allows you to soak up the sunshine. However, it’s crucial you think about how you can prepare your home for the summer months as a method of preventing serious damage and ensuring your family remains cool and comfortable in the event of a heatwave.
If you’re unsure about what you can do to get organized, we have provided a useful checklist below with all of the main points on how to prepare your home for the summer season.
1. Test your air conditioner
Before the hot weather arrives, it would be wise to ensure that your air conditioning unit is in good working order. There’s nothing worse than suffering from heat stroke and being unable to cool yourself down. You should start by replacing the air filter and cleaning the unit and vents to give it the best chance of working smoothly. You should then try giving your air conditioner a test run to see if it cools your home properly, but if there are still problems, it may be best to seek the assistance of a professional contractor. They will be able to run their own test on the unit and air ducts to see if there are any leaks. There are many expert Chicago HVAC contractors to carry out air conditioning maintenance, for example, to ensure it’s ready and working correctly for summer.
2. Be aware of bugs
In the summer months, bugs and insects can become a real issue, as they have a much higher chance of surviving in heat, rather than during the biting chill of the winter. Nothing is worse than having a bug-infested home, but it is, in fact, a very common occurrence as the critters aim is to shelter from the hot weather, so end up residing in your much cooler house.
To protect your home, you will need to look for prevention methods to keep bugs and insect at bay. Ensure that all gaps around the windows and doors are correctly sealed and spray the inside of your home (particularly on skirting boards, windows, doors and around the foundation) with insecticide.
If, after many attempts, you’re still getting unwanted pests roaming around your home, you could always call a pest control specialist as a last resort. These professionals provide natural solutions to safeguard your home against unwanted insects and bugs in the attempt to banish them completely.
3. Prevent water damage
Alongside the heat of the summer comes torrential rainstorms, so if your home isn’t properly preparedfor extensive rainfall, you could face some severe water damage. Be sure to check the roof, foundations, windows, and doors for cracks or gaps that could be open to leaks and be sure to seal them immediately. Clean the gutters and check that the water is flowing away from your home. Doing these very minor and simple checks could save you thousands of dollars in repairs both externally and internally before it’s too late.
4. Dust and switch ceiling fans
After the winter months when your fans haven’t been used for many months, it’s likely that they have accumulated a significant amount of dust. Before needing to use your fans in the height of the summer, take some time to prepare your fans by cleaning the dust and wash off the excess. One way to do this without making a mess is to use the inside of a pillowcase to scoop the dust and prevent it from being carried around the room. Once the dust has been collected, turn the pillowcase outside in again.
You may not be aware, but your fan should rotate in different directions dependant on the season. In the summer, be sure to set the spin anticlockwise to promote a good air flow.
5. Paint the fence and decking
Painting wooden fencing and decking isn’t just for visual purposes; it also protects the wood against natural elements to avoid the likes of chipping, peeling and rotting. Coat the wood with a protective sealant to keep it in good shape in the years to come. Before applying the coating, clear off any mud and dirt with a pressure washer, or it may have trouble sticking. Precautionary touch up jobs will be far more cost-effective than having to invest in repairs, so it’s always worth spending the time coating wooden objects in the springtime.