Spring Cleaning To Get Your Home's Exterior Ready For A Backyard Gathering
The first backyard gathering and barbecue of the season is anticipated all winter, and as the date approaches there can be plenty of cleaning and preparation to get your outdoor space ready. Fortunately, if you have some basic tools and equipment, you can get it ready in no time and begin planning your cook-out menu.
Clean Your Deck or Patio
Your deck or patio will likely have an accumulation of dirt, leaves, bug nests, and other debris left behind from winter you will need to remove before inviting your friends over. A pressure washer can be one of the best cleaning tools to prepare your outdoor areas, just be sure you use the right nozzle tip. The pressure washer's concentrated spray stream can get into the tiniest crevices to make the cleaning job easy.
Different nozzle tips spray out water at differing pressures, depending on what you want to clean. For example, if you are cleaning concrete, you can use a high pressure 0 degree nozzle to remove any concrete stains and mold. But for cleaning other surfaces that are softer than concrete, such as your wooden or vinyl deck, you should use a 25 degree nozzle to sweep the winter grim and dirt from its surfaces. Using the wrong tip with too much pressure will permanently damage your decking material.
Wash Outdoor Furniture
To clean your outdoor furniture, whether it is wicker, wood, or metal, you can use a scrub brush and bucket of warm, soapy water or your pressure washer and appropriate nozzle sprayer tip. You can also spray an application of cleaning solution with your pressure washer, then allow it to sit for several minutes, follow it with rinsing the surfaces clean.
To clean outdoor cushions that have sat outside all winter or have been stored in your garage, use a bucket of warm, soapy water and a cleaning cloth. Wipe down the upholstery's surfaces with the wet cloth and allow them to air dry. To remove tougher stains left over from bugs or other residues, use a plastic bristled scrub brush with the soapy water to remove the stains. Rinse them clean with fresh water and allow them to air dry.
Prepare the Grill for Cooking
Your outdoor grill will likely have leftover food and grease from last season, and insect stains from winter. Leaving any leftover food particles can introduce bacteria and organisms into your cooking and put you and your guests at risk of food-borne illness.
Remove the grates from your grill and soak them in a basin of warm soapy water. Follow this soaking up by wiping them clean. Cleaning the interior of your grill can be a bit easier if you turn on the flame and heat it up. Just be careful to turn off the flame before you begin cleaning and be careful not to touch any hot surfaces so you don't burn yourself during the cleaning.
Contact a service, like J & A Steam Cleaning-Waste Water Recovery, for more help.
