This document gives you some helpful tips to prepare you home in summer, to ensure that it continues to be maintained to a high standard.
1. Check your heating works.
It is unlikely that you will need it for several months but, it is always better to be prepared. We recommend that mid way through the summer you turn on your heating (and fire if you have one) to check that it works and produces the right level of heat.
2. Check your roof for damage.
A leak can cause untold damage to your possessions and potentially cause huge disruption to your life. We recommend you look for visible signs of damage to the roof. On a tiled or slate roof this can be damaged, missing or dislodged tiles. With a flat roof (usually felt) look for signs of wear or dampness on the
inside of the roof or on walls near the joint with the ceiling.
3. Control the smell from your garbage bins.
Not the most pleasant subject but unfortunately, garbage bins smell. This smell can be amplified in the summer due to the hot weather and dry air. To combat the smell we recommend you disinfect your garbage bin: rinse garbage bin with a hose, dump the water, then spray with disinfectant. Let the
disinfectant work for 10 minutes, then rinse again. Then leave to dry.
4. Inspect your gutters.
Gutters collect all sorts of debris, including leaves and small bits of grit over the winter. The summer is the ideal time – not just because of the weather – to check whether they need cleaning or even unblocking. This means they’ll be in excellent order when the bad weather does arrive. Always remember when working at height to do this safely!
5. Inspect outdoor equipment.
Summer can be the ideal time to check that your outdoor equipment, such as trampolines, barbeques and children’s toys are in good, safe condition. We recommend you check these and undertake any general maintenance required.
6. Patio and sliding door tracks.
Summer is the time when you will open or leave open your external doors. Particularly patio and sliding doors. A stubborn sliding or patio door can make summer a real drag – excuse the pun. In order for patio and sliding doors to open more easily, do the following: Grab a bottle of all-purpose (degreasing)
cleaner and lots of rags. Spray the track on which the door slides generously and let sit for a few minutes to soften any dirt that has built up. The use the rags to clean the track, this may take several passes along the track to remove all of the dirt. Treat the track with a small quantity of general purpose oil and reap the benefits throughout the summer.
