Expert Recommends: Start Your Major Spring Cleaning From the Yard!

Plus degrees and melting snow mean only one thing: it's time to prepare for the summer season, both indoors and outdoors. While waking grills from their winter sleep and packing away winter coats, spring cleaning outside often gets either completely forgotten or simply becomes overwhelming. Krausberg Eesti OÜ service manager Urve Vanker provides an overview of the stages of spring outdoor cleaning and shares tips to make the work easier.

"In urban spaces, after the first thaw, you can see with your own eyes how outdoor cleaning work immediately gets underway. Throughout the entire winter, the main concern is snow and its removal, but in spring the first priority becomes everything that melts out from under the snow. When it comes to outdoor work, the goal is not just to create a beautiful picture, but in reality all outdoor areas need regular maintenance so they last longer and remain safe for people. This applies both to urban spaces in general and right in front of your own home," explained Krausberg Eesti OÜ service manager Urve Vanker.

Roads, streets and surfaces

The very first thing that starts to interfere with human activity after the snow melts is the remnants of de-icing agents left behind by the snow. Streets, stairs, driveways and everywhere else are left with granite chippings, sand and road salt residue, which make traffic difficult and are carried into indoor spaces at the first opportunity. According to Urve Vanker, there are many solutions for cleaning de-icing agent remnants, but the most accessible method from home is the classic broom and shovel, with which collected chippings can be reused next winter.

"Spring outdoor work generally means dealing with everything that couldn't be reached due to the snow in the meantime and which has therefore had time to accumulate. That's why it's important to do as much preventive work as possible in autumn, but winter arrives unexpectedly and there's nothing to be done about it. One such task is, for example, moss removal – this should be dealt with in spring at the first opportunity so that moss doesn't have time to grow too much and damage the paving stones, spreading dirt everywhere," shared Urve Vanker.

The most effective method for moss removal and routine maintenance of external stone surfaces is brushing. For larger surfaces or heavier moss growth, machine brushing is a sensible choice, while for smaller areas or detail cleaning, hand brushing is suitable. According to Urve Vanker, one should prefer a brush with bristles that are as stiff as possible, which can also be attached to a telescopic pole if necessary, as moss removal can sometimes extend to hard-to-reach places like roofs and gutters.

Green spaces

"Often it happens that autumn leaf collection wasn't thorough enough or wasn't completed at the right time, and additionally all sorts of debris travels around with the pushed snow, so for lawns and green areas, the main task is debris removal. What melts out from under the snow is leaf litter, pet walking remains and everything else possible, which then needs to be removed using appropriate methods. First any human litter such as packaging, cigarette butts and other things, later you can deal with organic dirt," described Urve Vanker.

In addition to debris removal, green space maintenance also includes taking care of lawn and other vegetation health. Once the ground has thawed, you can undertake lawn aeration with a rake or machine, reseed if necessary, and level out the surface texture. According to Urve Vanker, you don't need to be an expert green thumb to prune apple trees and rake up branches broken during winter. 

"In our work, green space maintenance often also includes playground maintenance, where spring is also the time to put things in order before the playground can be used again. In addition to cleaning the wooden or plastic parts of the structures, it's certainly necessary to go through sandboxes thoroughly, clean them of any dirt and refill them with fresh sand," said Urve Vanker.

Buildings and home life

When it comes to spring outdoor cleaning at home, it's important to take care of the building's exterior details and undertake all maintenance work that needs to be done only once or twice a year. This includes, for example, roof and gutter cleaning, checking drainage systems, air conditioning maintenance, oiling door hinges and much more. According to Urve Vanker, the cleaning tasks that often go unnoticed are those whose consequences don't show immediately if neglected.

"Removing dirt from the building's facade may seem like pure cosmetic work, but sometimes it can bring unexpected functional benefits. Of course, there's no point in trying to fight natural forces and keep the house shiny, but even taking an occasional careful look can help prevent many problems. For example, from a distance it's easy to confuse an ordinary post-snow grime layer on the wall surface and actual damp or mold spots in the wall. However, dirt left in corners, nooks and window frames attracts all sorts of insects and spiders to settle in, and later their habits are harder to change," shared Urve Vanker. 

The disappearance of snow generally means all external surfaces are covered with a light layer of grime, most of which washes away over time with rain, but the more important places still need human intervention. At home, according to Urve Vanker, you should first clean those external surfaces that people come into contact with most, such as stairs, handrails, doors and cars – including the car interior – but also those things that might not come to mind immediately, such as outdoor lights and solar panels.