Home Maintenance: Fall Clean-Up

Home Maintenance: Fall Clean-up Checklist

It’s officially that time of year:  football games, Halloween and pumpking spice!  It’s also time to get ready for the winter weather that will soon arrive. Starting your fall clean-up now will save you a lot of time and energy once spring comes around and will help keep you and/or your family safe in the yard year-round. Growth has created a fall clean-up checklist to ensure you are prepared for the future months ahead.

1. Clean out debris– Make sure you rake up any leaves that have fallen and any weeds. Pests love to hibernate in these areas during the winter. Clear out any flower beds so the critters don’t have a place to hide.
2. Trim branches– It’s important to trim any dead, damaged, or diseased branches you may have missed during the summer. Cut out any out-of-place tree branches that may give you trouble in the winter. Branches tend to break and fall during times of heavy snowfall.
3. Clean out gutters– Clear out any leaves and other debris from the rain gutters. Check for proper drainage, clear out any blockages and rinse out with your hose.
4. Drain out water systems– Drain out any water from your hoses, fountains, and irrigation systems and put away in a dry place. Water that’s left standing over the winter can damage your equipment. And be sure to shut off water to hose bibs to prevent cracking in lines and pipes.
5. Feed your lawn– It might be a good idea to add some fall lawn fertilizer with high phosphorous content to create root growth so that you have a lush, green lawn when spring rolls around.
6. Mow your lawn one last time– If you set your mower to a low setting and give your lawn a close buzz before winter sets in, this will help the soil dry out quicker in the spring time, creating a lusher lawn.
7. Protect cold-sensitive plants– Keep your cold-sensitive plants in good shape through the cold winter days. Add mulch to the base and wrap plants in cloth barriers so they won’t diminish in the cold. You may also use a single sheet or blanket or wrap them in both cloth and plastic, depending on the hardiness of the plant and the climate you live in.
8. Plant bulbs, shrubs and fall annuals– Some plants flourish when planted in the fall. If you’re wanting to add new shrubs or spring bulbs, now is the best time to plant them. Fall annuals like pansies are also a good addition to keep some color in your yard while the other plants are sleeping.
9. Protect your deck– To prevent the growth of mold and mildew, give your deck a good power wash. If you don’t have a power washer, you can rent one from a garden or hardware store. Once you power wash your deck and it’s clean and dry, add weatherproofing stain to protect the wood from moisture damage over the winter.
10. Clean tools and store them– Make sure you clean your gardening tools and add a light coat of oil to prevent them from rusting during the winter since you won’t be using them for a while.

We hope that this checklist helps you prepare for the winter months ahead and makes it easier for you to transition. Preparing for new seasons is always best to do early so you won’t have to worry about it later, especially when the temperature drops.   Need some tips for best cleaning products? Check out our cleaning checklist here.  Happy Fall!

Works Cited

Fall Chores: 10 Simple Fall Cleanup Tips for the Season, https://www.spring-green.com/blog-fall-chores-season-cleanup-tips/.