Outdoor Home Treatments Everyone Should Do

There is so much involved in taking care of your yard, garden, and outdoor stuff. It can be overwhelming to keep the inside of the house clean and the outside well-manicured. Whether you’re just doing ordinary things, like changing an outside light bulb, or you’re dragging your outdoor furniture inside the garage to protect it through the winter, you’ll find this guide helpful. You can make life easier, protect expensive purchases, and more, just by following these tips.

Any time you change a light bulb – indoors or outside – it’s a good idea to spread a very thin layer of petroleum jelly around the metal threads of the bulb. When you do that, you’ll never end up with a bulb that’s stuck in the socket. Even if the bulb breaks you’ll easily be able to remove it by using half of a potato to remove it. The petroleum jelly makes it easy to remove stubborn bulbs like those that have been out in cold weather, or bulbs that have been in place for a very long time.

Use petroleum jelly to protect deck furniture, too. Apply it to areas that touch the deck – or the ground – throughout the winter months. In the summer, just wipe the legs or other areas clean with a damp cloth. Further protect lawn or deck furniture from the elements – and keep from having to drag them indoors – by covering them with trash bags. Cut straight down the sides of a bag and lay it on the furniture. Use duct tape to hold it in place; cut and place as many bags as needed to completely cover each piece.

Got wicker furniture? You’ll keep it from cracking and breaking if, occasionally, you brush it with a coat of cooking oil. Just apply a light coat and allow it to sit. Apply a generous coat if the wicker will be out in the snow or rain.
Don’t have any rock salt to get ice off of your steps, sidewalk, or driveway? Use cat litter! Sprinkle an ample amount where you’ll be walking, or where the tires will drive out of the driveway, and ice will give you no problem. When the snow is gone cat litter can simply be swept into the yard.

In the winter, some doors, like garage doors, or doors that lead outside your home, can become hard to open. Before snow arrives, open the door, and spray around the facing with non-stick cooking spray. No weather will keep your doors from opening smoothly. Spray the cooking spray on lawn mower blades and you can mow even if the grass is wet.

When you take preventive measures to protect your outdoor belongings, or take small steps to make life a little easier, you can cut your outdoor work time down, and save money all the way around.