Spring Cleaning 101: Outdoors

Curb appeal 

When we think about living with less and organizing our homes, we can easily forget about the outside of our homes. The thing is, the inside of a home can be as neat as can be, but the outside may look like a disaster, which gives off the impression that that is what the inside of the home looks like as well, even though it may not be true.

1. Wash the outside of your home. Consider whether it needs to be repainted.

• My husband and I pressure washed our home awhile back and realized that it really just needed a fresh coat of paint. We decided to go from white to green. Well, the green ended up being more of a teal in the sun, so I decided to repaint it. I told him I would do it in a day and he did not believe me (we lived in a 1,000 sq. ft. house with a carport). Well, by 5:30pm that day, our house had a fresh new look. If you put your mind to it, you can do it (assuming your house is bigger, get others to help you out!)

2. Wash all doors, windows, and window sills

3. Wipe down any home decor you may have

4. Clean porch and walkways with a washer or broom

5. Trim bushes, thatch lawn, edge lawn, and clean up yard

6. Nail down any loose shingles

7. Caulk any windows that may have been hit by the harsh winters

8. Re-stain the deck if needed

9. Write down on your fix-it list what needs to be fixed

10. Take a walk around your home and soak in all that you accomplished!

When you drive up to your home each day, do you appreciate what you own? Or do you always look at what needs to be done? If you can get through this list, you will be feeling that sense of relief and maybe even a little proud, as your house wears the beauty of curb appeal!

What needs spring cleaning the most around your home?