Spring is fast approaching. We will finally dig ourselves out of the snow and have a chance to smell the tulips. However, as with every new season, there comes new perils. Spring is like a big sister in charge of babysitting her two younger and very destructive brothers, Wind and Hail. Sometimes, she goes places alone and it’s fantastic. Other times she has to drag her siblings with her and they kick up a lot of dust and throw things at windows.
What do we do when children are coming into our lives? We baby proof the house. So what should we do when Spring and her little brothers are headed our way? Prep the house! There are a few fairly inexpensive things you can do to save you from a possible nightmare so why not just knock them out early?
- Clean your roof. That’s right, clean it. Kiplinger.com notes if dark streaks and stains cover your shingles, then they likely have an algae problem. Moss can cause asphalt shingles to curl or lift and blow off in high winds. You can get rid of both the dirty look and the potential claim by using a garden sprayer and a 50/50 solution of water and bleach, which you rinse off after 10-15 minutes.
- Clean your gutters. I know more cleaning, but they don’t call it Spring Cleaning for nothing. When you don’t have clean gutters, your home is at risk. The website Squeegeepros.com notes that water can seep through your roof or collect at your home’s foundation and seep into your basement. This can slowly destroy your foundation and create MOLD. Both of which are very expensive to fix. Cleaning the gutters however is not so pricey.
- Clean out the cellar, if you have one. Most people tend to use their cellar as a storage unit. However, in an emergency, your high school yearbooks and college keepsakes aren’t near as important as your life. Clear the boxes out to that you have a clutter free space to go in the event of a tornado.
- Clean out the garage. The garage is a catch all for our things that don’t belong outside, but don’t quite belong in the house either. However, when hail comes knocking, your car shouldn’t suffer. Before the hail reaches your town, maybe at least try to shuffle things around so that you can squeeze your car in the garage when you need to.
Yes this list is all about cleaning. But a little cleaning goes a long way, which can save you a lot of hardship in the event a spring storm strikes near you with those little brothers Wind and Hail.
