Fall is officially here. Fall brings changing of leaves, Halloween, and pumpkin spice everything. Does fall bring to mind home maintenance? Falling leaves can cause issues for homeowners. Dead leaves left un-raked can inhibit spring growth. Raking up those leaves can mean a fresh new spring lawn. You can also use your mower to mulch up the leaves. Don’t forget to fall/winterize your mower when you are done cutting grass for the season. If you still have gas in your mower, use a fuel stabilizer to keep the gas form deteriorating and damaging your engine. You can also remove the gas, but make sure you dispose of the gas correctly. According to houselogic.com, you can also remove the spark plug and pour a capful of engine oil into the spark plug hole. Pulling the starter cord will move the oil around and distribute it. This will help keep the engine lubed. Finally clean off any gas and gunk from the mower. Falling leaves can also clog your gutters and downspouts. If you don’t feel comfortable with heights, hire someone to come clean the gutters. If you do it yourself a plastic spatula can be a great tool to clean gutters without scratching the surface. Clean gutters and downspouts can prevent leaks. Also visually inspect the gutters to make sure that they are not sagging. Homelogic.com also suggests extending your downspouts at least five feet away from the house to prevent foundation problems. You can also trim tree limbs away from the house to help with roof and gutter maintenance. Falling leaves are a great part of fall, doing fall maintenance can keep it that way.
