Three Projects to Scratch off Your To-Do List Immediately
Call us crazy, but our northern winters feel like they get longer and longer every year. This means that our summers get shorter and shorter. Since we finally have beautiful weather, we think it’s a great time to ditch the following chores around your home for good!
Cleaning Gutters: When your gutters clog from leaves and other organic debris and it rains, the water needs to go somewhere but instead of flowing through the gutters and out the downspouts, the water overflows. This can compromise your home’s foundation, fascia and siding. In some cases, mold can begin to grow which is a serious health hazard. Not only is climbing a ladder to clean your rain gutters several times a year a real fun killer, it’s also dangerous. Each year, 30,000 people are injured falling off ladders.
The Fix: LeafGuard Brand Gutters are designed to allow water to flow freely while eliminating clogs by deflecting debris such as: leaves, pine needles and small branches from trees. We offer a “No Clog Warranty” for as long as you own the home and if your gutters ever clogged we will clean them for free – GUARANTEED! LeafGuard Brand Gutters are the only gutters to have earned the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.
Staining Your Deck: On many homes, a deck is not only a selling point, it’s a place for homeowners to entertain guests and relax. However, without proper care, a wooden deck can become an eyesore. This means that homeowners must undergo the chore, not to mention expense, of sanding, staining and sealing their deck. This task must be repeated every few years because wooden decks become weathered and oftentimes, it eats up an entire weekend.
The Fix: Composite decking, manufactured by companies such as TimberTech, allow homeowners the opportunity to enjoy their summer months without the hassle of staining their deck. TimberTech’s Capped Composite Decking offers a 25 year Fade and Stain warranty. Why break your back ever again performing such a tedious chore when there are better options available?
Fertilizing Your Lawn: The lawn care industry is worth $50 billion annually. Consumers are flooded with ads preaching the benefits of pesticides and fertilizers in order to achieve a lush, green lawn. The issue with this is that runoff created by rainwater, ends up in local bodies of water, which can kill the wildlife in it. Additionally, a study by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that home and garden pesticide use could increase the risk of leukemia in children by almost 7 times. Lastly, studies point to the increase in leukemia in household pets as a result of increased pesticide & fertilizer use.
The Fix: Cease and desist the use of fertilizers and pesticides. They’re bad for you, your family and the environment. There are a lot of natural alternatives that can be used to kill weeds such as boiling water, vinegar, limited amounts of salt, and corn gluten meal.
