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OUTDOOR MAINTENANCE -
Caulking, Cleaning & Painting (continued)
b. To remove algae, and particularly mildew, from painted surfaces (including outdoor furniture), pressure washing will not do the job. Mix 25% household chlorine bleach with 75% water in a garden sprayer and spray on the dirty area. Wait a few minutes and wash off with a hose or lightly with a pressure sprayer. Your painted surface will almost look like new. This bleach solution will not harm your shrubs near the house, but rinse all excess bleach solution off of plants within a few minutes of application. Also make sure to wash your garden sprayer thoroughly since bleach will corrode metal parts.
c. Often fascia and gutters will become discolored from rain water running off the roof. This is particularly hard to remove. Instead of repainting, try to use whitewall tire cleaner available at auto stores. This will remove most of this type of grime.
d. Dirt, algae and mildew can also be cleaned off of concrete walkways and driveways with a pressure cleaner. If the problem is algae or mildew use some bleach solution and then pressure clean.
e. If you have rust stains from well water on the side of your house or on driveways or walks, buy a rust removal product from your home improvement store. Follow instructions, particularly with respect to use on painted surfaces.
3. Painting a house can be a major and expensive project. But make sure you do not neglect required painting, as the resulting deterioration in trim and siding could become very expensive. Consider the following:
a. Sometimes only repainting the trim is all you really need to do. But make sure it really needs to be painted, and not just be cleaned of mildew.
b. Whether you do the painting yourself, or hire a contractor, make sure all necessary caulking, sanding, and priming of bare wood is done before painting commences. Without a good foundation under the paint, the paint job will not last.
c. Since most of the cost and effort of painting is the labor required to apply the paint, do not scrimp on the quality of paint. Make sure a high quality paint is used, whether you paint it yourself or hire a contractor. And make sure the contractor does not dilute the paint.
d. Make sure an anti-
e. If hiring a contractor, make sure to shop around as prices will vary greatly. And do not be shy about asking for a lower price. But be sure to get recommendations from friends or neighbors to ensure the contractor is good. A bad paint job is hard to correct and costly.
Nothing can harm a home quicker than moisture. Making sure you control rain and moisture properly will save you a lot of money in the long run.
1. If your home has gutters, make sure you clean debris out of the gutters so they function properly, and that the downspouts extend away from the house. Otherwise, rain will just run over the gutters ruining fascia and soffits, as well as potentially causing water problems around your foundation. But be careful about working on a ladder. Companies are available that will perform this service at a relatively low cost; often less than $100.
2. To move rain water away from your home, make sure all planting beds and grass
areas against the home’s foundation slope away from the foundation. If not, re-
3. Periodically check the attic to see if any leaks are occurring. Looking in the attic during a heavy , wind blown rain would be a good time to check. Otherwise get a good flashlight and look for water stains on the rafters.
4. It is very important that your basement and crawlspace are also dry, with
no standing water or significant dampness. If water does exist, find the source
and get it fixed. If the area is just too damp, consider a dehumidifier for the
basement, or additional ventilation for the crawl space. And make sure you check
for mold on the floor joists and walls. If it exists, you need to clean it up with
a 25% bleach, 75% water solution, or have a professional clean it up. While a professional
mold clean-
5. In some areas of the country, radon gas is a potential problem in basements and sometimes in crawl spaces. Look on the Internet to see if you may be in such an area and how to test to determine if you have a problem. Companies are available to test for this gas, but there are also inexpensive test kits that can be purchased and used by the homeowner. To learn more, go to the EPA’s Radon web site found on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html.
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