Get Your Outdoor Living Areas Ready for Spring

Spring is just around the corner, at least I hope it is! Alleviate some of your spring fever by getting your outdoor living areas cleaned up and take care of any maintenance now so you'll be ready for the sunshine and warmer weather. Below is some general information. Please refer to manufacturer instructions whenever available.

Decking- Use a leaf blower or broom to remove debris

Composites- Power washing with fan stream, following the grain pattern, and using mild soap and water for spot duty. For mold spots, simply add bleach and vinegar to your cleaning solution.

Cedar and other Natural Wood - Power wash, stain, oil & seal if necessary

Screens- hose off and check for tears

Aluminum posts -hose off and wipe down with mild, non-abrasive detergent

Concrete – If your concrete patio has stubborn stains, try a mixture of laundry stain remover, powdered laundry detergent, cat litter, BioClean and salt of carbonic acid (washing soda). To lift remaining stains, try spot cleaning with oven cleaner. Rinse with a hose after 3 or 4 hours.

Barbeque Grill (courtesy of Napoleongrills.com) –

1. Have your cleaning supplies ready

You wouldn’t cook in a dirty kitchen, so why would you grill on a dirty barbeque? In order to sanitize and deep clean your grill, you will need the following products: a brass wire brush, small pail to hold hot water, dish soap, venturi brush, a 1/16” drill bit, replacement grease cups, spatula, stainless steel cleaner and some fine sandpaper.

2. Give your grill a good spring cleaning

The cleaning supplies listed will help clean every nook and cranny of your barbeque.

·                            Start with the burners. It is easier to detach the burners and take them out of the grill for a very thorough cleaning. Pass a venturi brush through the burners to snag out any blockages then brush the tops of the burners using a brass wire brush. Once the burners are cleaned, check all of the burner ports to ensure that they are opened.  If some are closed with food particles you can use a 1/16” drill bit to open them.

·                            Sear plates and cooking grills should be washed with hot soapy water. Simply brush the top side of your cooking grills with a little oil to re-season them.

·                            Hot soapy water works wonders on the cast base and sides of the grill and to remove grease splatters on the outside of the grill. For porcelain lids a thorough washing should suffice, for stainless steel lids a stainless steel cleaner should be used to remove any discoloring. Once the paint is dried, brush the cast aluminum with a little olive oil, this helps restore the luster and prevent oxidation.

·                            Lastly, use a spatula to scrape grease from the inside of the base all the way down towards the drip pan. Remove the drip pan and give it a good washing and be sure to replace the tin foil grease catcher.

3. Inspect all hoses and feed tubes

Once your cleaning is done it is a good idea to visually inspect all hoses and feed tubes on your grill. Look for any crimps, scratching and or punctures. If you detect any of these, it is time to replace the hoses.

4. Do a complete leak test of the grill

A leak test should be performed any time your grill has been in storage for a prolonged length of time or when you are changing any components on your grill. 

5. Check all ignition parts

Now that your grill is clean and safe it is time to check out how it lights. For battery ignitions it is a good idea to replace the batteries with new ones. Check all electrode leads and ensure the tips of the electrodes are clean and have no grease or rust build up on them, if they do you can use sandpaper to clean them.

Fireplace/Fire pit – Scoop out and discard all ashes. Scrub any metal work with a wire brush. Check all brick and stone work and mortar and re-point where necessary. A wood burning fireplace should have the chimney swept as well. To remove soot stains from the masonry, use an enzyme cleaner like Quick’n Brite, following the instructions for your particular stain.

Painted Surfaces – hose off or wipe down with a sponge and mild detergent. If paint is peeling, sand until smooth and repaint.

Retractable screens – Vacuum and wipe clean the tracks and then use dry silicone spray. Wipe screen clean with a soft cloth and mild detergent.

Outdoor Furniture – Follow manufactures instructions, but for aluminum and plastic surfaces, mild detergent or non-abrasive all purpose cleaner and a sponge or soft cloth will work. For cushions, try a solution of 1 tsp. dish detergent, 1 Tbs. borax, and 1 qt. of water. Saturate and wipe down on both sides letting them sit for 15 minutes. Then spray with a hose to rinse and let dry in the sun.