When Spring cleaning, it’s easy to forget about those outdoor living spaces. Finish up that Spring cleaning inside and then follow these tips to get those outdoor spaces spruced up.

At the end of this month, we will be in our house two years. We spent last year working on the inside (and still have more to go) but this year we are starting to focus on our outdoor spaces. We have three covered patios in our back yard (2 on the back of the house and 1 on our barn) that I hope will become great entertaining spaces.

Since I’m planning to really focus on these outdoor spaces of ours, I decided the first thing I should do is clean everything up and get them ready to furnish and decorate.

Where I live, the wind blows all. the. time. so there’s almost always a layer of dirt covering everything on our porches and patio’s. Because of our lovely wind, I have to clean up our outdoor spaces many times each Spring/Summer but if I give them a good deep cleaning early in the Spring, it’s easier to maintain during the warm season.

Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Outdoor Spaces

 

Blow off the Dust & Dirt

No seriously, grab a leaf blower and blow off the dust & dirt off of everything starting with the ceiling. If you have a ceiling fan, chances are there’s a ton of dirt on top of those blades. A leaf blower is the best tool to get all that loose dirt off of everything and it beats the heck out of sweeping every inch with a broom.

 

Wash the Dirt Away

Now that all the dirt has been knocked down, it’s time to wash it away. Grab that water hose with a sprayer (maybe even a pressure washer) and wash off any waterproof furniture and the porch/patio itself. I usually move our table and chairs out to the yard and give them a good scrub.

We typically store our outdoor furniture cushions and pillows inside during the winter months so when I pull them out, I usually give them a good beating to get the dust out (the leaf blower also works great for this too). For most outdoor cushions, you could also spray them down to clean.

 

Repel the Pests

After washing everything off, let it dry and spray a bug killer/repellant around the space to keep those pesky insects from ruining your outdoor fun. Don’t forget to spray up around the lights and the corners where the spiders like to hang out. This would also, be a good time to fill up those Tiki torches with citronella.

 

Mend the Broken

Another thing to do once everything is sparkling clean is to check everything over and look for anything that needs to be fixed or touched up with paint. Weather can be brutal on any pieces left outside for the winter so check for rusty screws or nails that might need to be replaced and paint that may have started chipping off and needs to be touched up.

 

Clean out the Pots

All of those big pots with plants that you left out to die? Pull those dead plants out and prepare the soil for new plants and flowers! Don’t forget to check for damage on the pots and if repairable, fix it or replace the pot if not.

 

Now that your outdoor space(s) is spruced up, your ready for entertaining! In my case, I’m ready to decorate! I have a list of projects and decor I want for my outdoor spaces this year. 

How about you? Do you have an outdoor space where you like to hang out? Is it Spring/Summer ready?