Spring is here, and at this time of the year, it is traditional for homeowners to do a general cleaning of the home inside and out and do regular maintenance tasks. As it is the best time of the year to enjoy the outdoors, it is also time to refresh lawns and see to gardens. The downside is that spring is also termite season, so homeowners should look out for these pests.
Decluttering, Cleaning, and Home Maintenance Tasks
Every year in spring, do a thorough decluttering throughout the house. This is the time to get rid of old newspapers and magazines, books that are not keepers, clothes that no longer fit, shoes that are too worn to repair, and other junk. Go through each room, clearing out closets, drawers, and the undersides of tables and beds where boxes of stuff are often shoved into. Do not forget the attic, the basement, and the garage.
It is easier to do a thorough cleaning after all the clutter is gone. General spring cleaning includes areas not often included in routine cleaning, such as the roof, gutter, and house sidings. Also, clean the dishwasher, the air conditioning system, the hot water system, the dehumidifier, and the garbage disposal system. Get a professional to clean these if you must.
While you clean, check for needed repairs. If a professional is doing the cleaning, inspection and repair must be included in the service. Also, do these for your plumbing system and electrical system. If the house still looks shabby after all the cleaning and repairs, consider giving it a fresh coat of paint inside and out.
The Lawn and Garden
Spring is the time when greens are greener and flowers bloom. This is the time to ensure that your lawn is thick and healthy, a perfect spot for backyard picnics. If you want a low-maintenance lawn and tolerates drought and heat, the grass Kikuyu is an ideal choice. It is hardy enough to play on and grows lush with only weekly watering. It is also resilient against pests and disease and is not expensive. After mowing your lawn, make sure to rake away the clippings so that they do not block sunlight and air from reaching the roots.
Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) suggests growing a garden of flowers, vegetables, herbs, and fruits. The soil must first be enhanced with organic fertilizers such as your compost and highly decomposed manure. Straw makes a good mulch that further augments the soil as it decays.
Lovely flowers to make your garden pop include sunflowers, French marigolds, petunias, nasturtiums, snapdragons, celosia, and phlox. These will attract butterflies, bees, and other helpful insects to the garden.
In warm to temperate areas, you can grow fruits like paw paw, passionfruit, blueberries, bananas, avocados, guava, and citrus. You can even grow olives. For vegetables, you can grow tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, leeks, spring onions, and silverbeet. For herbs, you can grow parsley, oregano, marjoram, and thyme.
In warm areas, you can also grow zucchini, Chinese cabbage, eggplant, pumpkin, mizuna, tatsoi, and capsicum. You can grow herbs like sweet basil, dill, thyme, coriander, mint, and chamomile. Watermelons are also best grown in warm areas.
In cool to cold areas, you can also grow cauliflower, radish, turnips, parsnips, swedes, peas, onions, and leeks. Among the herbs, you can grow parsley, lemon balm, and echinacea. Coriander, dill, thyme, and chamomile will also survive.
After the frosts have passed in temperate areas, you can also grow carrots, radish, artichokes, celery, climbing beans, and sweet corn. Among the herbs, you can grow rosemary, chives, and sage.
Hedges and trees are best pruned in spring so that they can recover quickly before the weather turns too hot. Wait for flowering shrubs and trees to finish blooming before pruning.
If you have indoor plants, repot them in the spring and add seaweed fertilizers to give them a boost. If you don’t, now is the time to choose plants to pot to bring fresh air indoors.
Do not forget to clean, sharpen, and oil your gardening tools. Maintaining these will keep them efficient and give them longer lives, saving you from getting replacements.
Termite Inspection and Control
Spring is the time when termites swarm to find new homes. There may already be a termite infestation in your home that you are not aware of. There are various types of destructive termites found throughout Australia, and most of them build nests underground and within walls. They eat through wooden structures of the home as well as wooden furniture. If left uncontrolled, they could make a house structurally unsafe. Renovation at this point will be equivalent to rebuilding the house and is very expensive.
It is best to have a professional pest control company do regular yearly inspections and treatment for possible termite infestation. It is even better to take preventive measures before an infestation occurs. There are ways to put chemical or physical barriers around a house to keep out these pests.
Enjoy the Weather
After you have done all your springtime tasks, you now have the luxury of enjoying this fine weather. Cut fresh flowers to brighten up your rooms and bring in the sweet scent of nature. Have breakfast or tea in the yard or string up some lights outdoors for dinner al fresco.
