Eclectic Homes

May Checklist for a Smooth-Running Home

May is the best time to prepare your property, inside and out, for warmer times and much more time spent outside. Whether it’s cleaning the grill, maintaining air conditioners, coordinating the door or touching up paint, every item on our checklist this month will allow you to get your house ready so that you can sit back and enjoy the fantastic stuff — barbecues with family and friends, a gentle breeze flowing through the screen door or the simple pleasure of sitting on your porch and watching the world go by.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

Touch up paint. Try out a fresh new interior color, give the trim a glossy new coat or simply fill holes and touch up unsightly stains.

Service air conditioners. Replace filters on window units, and in case you have central air conditioning, make it professionally cleaned.

Barn Light Electric Company

Clean things on open shelves. Things not often used can collect a crazy quantity of dust and dirt if they are saved in the kitchen on open shelves. Give every piece a fast wash in a tub of warm, soapy water. Rinse and let it all to dry before replacement.

Clean or replace entry mats. A new doormat out and a fresh, colorful rug within the door will make for a cheery entrance. If your mats continue to be in good shape, shake them out nicely outdoors and spot clean.

Check security devices. Check batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and check expiration dates on fire extinguishers. Replace as needed.

Melissa Lenox Design

Clean the washer and dryer. If your washing machine has you, run the cleaning cycle on it if not operate the washer with a few cups of white vinegar on the latest setting to wash it. Scrub within the lid of the washer and remove lint from the dryer hose.

Rethink Design Studio

Launder curtains and slipcovers. Toss machine-washable things in the washer and choose the remainder to the dry cleaner, or hand wash and air dry them. If you do not want to iron drapes, consider hanging up them while they are still slightly damp — their particular weight ought to help the wrinkles fall out over a day or two.

austin outdoor design

Stain decks and fencing. Shield your wood and prepare for a period of outdoor lounging by washing decks and wood fences thoroughly and providing them a fresh coat of stain.

Clean the grill. Uncover your grill and give the grates a fantastic scrubbing to get ready for barbecue period.

Katia Goffin Gardens

Maintain and repair lawn paths. Create neat edges, fill in gravel paths with fresh gravel and replace or reposition broken stepping stone.

Check irrigation systems and hoses. Turn on the irrigation system and take a walk through your yard to make certain everything is functioning correctly. Make adjustments and repairs as needed.

Siemasko + Verbridge

Clean out the garage and shed. That is a biggie! Split the job over several weekends and organize a yard sale in the end to eliminate unneeded stuff.

See Methods to make more money and have fun at a lawn sale

Susan Wallace

Place in display doors. Get ready for warmer days by hanging display doors at each entrance. If you currently have display doors, now is a fantastic time to check for holes and tears. Learn more about the maker of the screen door.

Enhance curb appeal. Small changes like swapping out house numbers and refreshing window box plantings may create a big impact.

Tell us What jobs are you tackling around the house this month?

See related