Cleaning the yard always goes better if you have an actual list to follow, and incorporate the labor of family into the project. In this way, everyone pitches in to get the work done faster, and a sense of ownership of the yard is spread evenly throughout the family. You will find below tips for cleaning the yard in the spring and fall seasons.
How To Clean The Yard In The Spring
After a winter spent mostly indoors with the family fighting off the effect of cabin fever, the thoughts of attacking the tasks on a spring cleaning checklist can seem like a trip to the Bahamas. The importance of spring cleaning as applied to the yard is usually forgotten until the weeds begin to sprout and the neighbours begin to point at your property as they pass by, usually giggling like small children.
A proper spring cleaning for your yard should not only encompass the yard itself, but include the exterior of the home and any other aspect of exterior “grooming” that can make your yard appear as a location that tells the world that a caring individual owns it.
Lawn And Plant Beds
Yard spring cleaning should begin with making certain that the lawn and plant beds are cared for in a fashion that will enable excellent growth. Spring is an excellent time to aerate, seed, and lightly fertilize the lawn, and is also a great time to transplant greenery before it has a chance to return to life and take hold in its present location.
Flower and plant beds need fertilized as well, and spring is the appropriate time to plant after any threat of frost has subsided. The yard should be cleaned up by removing any leaves or tree branches that have fallen over the winter, and shrubs that may have become misshapen due to the weight of snow can be trimmed or tied in a more aesthetically pleasing manner.
Cleaning The Exterior Of The Home, Lawn Furniture, Driveway, And Ornaments
Spring cleaning your yard should include cleaning the exterior of the home using backyard cleaning tools such as a power washer or garden hose, and windows and gutters should be cleaned. Driveways should either be washed if they are concrete or weeded is they are made of gravel. Garden and lawn furniture and ornaments fit in this category also, as they often need a good cleaning after a harsh winter. Any surfaces that require a fresh coat of paint should be addressed on a warm and sunny spring day also.
Spring Cleaning Gardening Equipment
Spring cleaning for the yard should also apply to gardening equipment, by examining each piece to ensure that it is either operating properly or can be repaired and restored to it’s former glory. A great way to do this is to actually test each gardening tool, and jettison each one that is worn beyond repair.
Cleaning The Yard In The Fall
As the year starts to wind down, it is time to start fall clean up in your yard. How much work will be requires is determined to a large extent by where you live, the size of your yard and the amount of landscaping you have.
The obvious way to make fall clean up easy is to hire a yard cleaning services to do it for you. In these tough economic times, there are many people looking for work. If you can afford to do it, you can sit back and feel good about giving someone a job while having your fall yard cleanup done for you. If this is not possible, then it is time to recruit your family.
Here are a few tips to make the fall cleanup in your yard as easy as possible.
Inventory Of The Yard
Begin by doing an inventory of the yard. Are there items that need to be stored away for the coming winter? These items need to be moved to the basement, a shed, or garage. Be sure to remove any water and to remove any dirt before storing away.
Flowers
Look for dead annuals. It is time to get them out of the ground and throw the remains away. Any perennials can be cut back and prepared for the hibernation that takes place over the winter. Look for broken or damaged limbs and remove, better to take them down now than to have them fall over the winter. This is the time for pruning as well if you have roses in your yard.
Removing Leaves
The biggest task that must be dealt with in the yard every fall are the leaves that fall from the trees. While this shedding of leaves does not happen everywhere, it happens in enough areas to be something that is dreaded. There are several ways to attack removing leaves, which is the easier is debatable. Leaves do not fall all at once, they trickle down a few at a time until there is some sort of major rain or wind storm.
Some people prefer to rake and bag the leaves as they fall and others prefer to wait until the inevitable storm when all the leaves will finally come down to deal with the issue. The main thing that is important is to rake or blow the leaves when they are dry. This makes them much lighter and easier to deal with. Wet leaves stick to the ground, bushes, and to tree trunks making their removal difficult.
Fall cleanup is something that anyone with a yard has to deal with. It doesn’t have to be a hard job if you follow these few tips for getting the job done.
Designate a weekend for easy yard clean up and make it a fun time with the entire family. Have plenty of gloves, rakes, a leaf blower, a wheel barrow, and leaf bags. Give out assignments, as this is the best way to be efficient. Allowing children or teens to decide what they would like to do is most likely not going to result in much work getting done. Have realistic expectations and you can also offer a reward for assignments completed.
