Imagine passing through a residential area and a particular home catches your eye. The outdoor space is just so organised and exquisite - well-manicured and lush lawns, vibrant flower beds, neatly trimmed edges, etc.
You will stand staring at it for some time, appreciating the effort it took to maintain such exquisite outdoor space. There must have been an effort to regularly maintain and upkeep it, and your appreciation shows that the effort has paid off.
If you decide to maintain your own outdoor space, you will also have an exquisite landscape. Further benefits you will enjoy include having the lifespan of your furniture and materials last longer.
Aside from passersby and guests admiring your outdoor space, you get to personally enjoy and feel more relaxed in a well-kept outdoor space.
In this article, we will be giving you tips on furniture care, deck and patio maintenance, landscaping upkeep and general maintenance.
Furniture Care
The method of maintenance you use for your furniture and the length of cleaning for your furniture depends on the type of material that is used to make the furniture.
For instance, wood furniture just needs soft, lint-free cloth or a damp microfiber duster (with gentle dishwashing liquid) to clean the dust off properly without causing abrasion.
For metal furniture, the type of metal your furniture is made with matters a lot and will determine your maintenance pattern. Nevertheless, you should avoid abrasive materials and cleaning agents, and clean the furniture dry after washing.
During off-seasons, you can store your furniture in great storage spaces such as a storage shed, basement, and/or garage. If you don’t have any of the aforementioned storage spaces, you can stack or fold them under a covered area.
Remember to check if your furniture needs repairs or touch-ups, and do that immediately before it is damaged beyond repair.
Deck and Patio Maintenance
Just like furniture, decks and patios are maintained based on the material that is used to construct them.
For instance, concrete materials can be properly cleaned with soda, detergent (for
smaller grease spills), vinegar and baking soda, concrete cleaner or degreaser, bleach, etc.
For composite decking, you have to use soapy water and a soft scouring pad to scrub the deck. For wooden decks, scrubbing the deck with a brush or bristled broom and a few drops of washing up liquid dissolved in water is enough to keep it clean.
You can also seal the deck to maintain your wood’s natural finish, minimise water infiltration, lock out moisture, keep the insects away and prevent rots. If your deck becomes worn from environmental circumstances, you should simply re-stain it instead of replacing it entirely.
Always, inspect your deck for minor cracks or damages and fix it immediately to avoid it getting worse.
Landscaping Upkeep
Now to your landscape, your flowers and plants also need seasonal maintenance. For instance, pruning is best done in the late winter or early spring when they are dormant.
The best time to fertilise them is during springtime when they are out of dormancy and in their peak growth. The best time to water your plants is either in the morning, late afternoon or early evening.
The best timing allows the plant to absorb as much water as possible and get through a very hot day. There should be a regular pattern to your weed control or mowing strategies. This helps to prevent weeds from producing or spreading their seeds.
You can get rid of weeds by pulling them out, using a trowel, ploughing, burning, spraying weedicides, etc. After getting rid of the weeds, you have to maintain your soil to keep it healthy.
You can utilise certain strategies such as mulching, crop rotation, reduced tillage, composting, cover crops, soil testing, and matter to increase the health and fertility of your soil.
General Maintenance
Aside from the targeted maintenance above, there are general maintenance strategies that you can implement for your outdoor space. This general cleaning can be done once a month or a certain time frame.
You can start by cleaning all your outdoor lighting fixtures, clearing the debris from your grill and fireplaces and replacing them with new fuel (e.g. coal or wood), cleaning the gutters out and storing your seasonal decorations properly.
Finally,
Now that you are done learning about these tips, you can incorporate them in your outdoors and watch them blossom into something extremely admirable.
When you transform your outdoor space to what you want, it will need regular maintenance to keep looking beautiful and to remain fit to be enjoyed by the homeowners.
Inspiration for different outdoor design and renovation projects can be found on various platforms online, so ensure to you research on the internet.
