Get a Jump on Summer Prep for Home and Garden

Summer holidays (and staycations) are fantastic, to be certain, but a really incredible thing happens when you build mini escapes into your everyday life throughout the season. From weekend lawn games and shore days to after-work dinners on the grill and hammock lounging, savoring each day of summer leaves this candy time appear to last somewhat longer.

Continue reading for more timely tips on prepping your house and garden now so that you can enjoy a relaxing and safe summer.

Rethink Design Studio

Set up a washing station near the rear door. Cease sand and dirt from being tracked inside by means of a foot rinse near the door. Of course, in an perfect world we would all have outside showers (and live steps from the shore) but a stool placed with a spigot, or even a watering can and a wooden doormat can do just fine.

Ron Brenner Architects

Check and repair screens. Take preventative measures before the bugs start to strike, and you can unwind snack free all summer long.

Bockman + Forbes Design

Strip carpeting from high-traffic areas. If you’ve been thinking of eliminating that ratty old carpeting from your rear stairs or entryway, seize your instant. Carpeting traps sand and muck like nothing else, and you will appreciate the coolness of bare flooring in summer.

Style note: In case you’re searching for a creative idea for your newly bare stairs, try painting them white with a stripe down the center (natural timber or a shade), then stencil numbers on the risers to get a brand new, nautical-inspired appearance.

Rethink Design Studio

Whiten your own whites. Few things say “summer” quite like crisp white curtains fluttering in the breeze. In case your whites are looking a little dingy (as is frequently the case after being boxed up for months) now is a fantastic time to freshen them up. Bleach does the trick, obviously, though I have also heard that dangling whites in sunlight does a much better job.

Allied ASID, Jennifer Ashton

Plant culinary herbs within arm’s reach. The bountiful produce of summer has been paired with fresh herbs. Make it easy on yourself (and save a few bucks — fresh herbs are expensive) by filling your kitchen window with baskets of your own favorites.

Target

Privet House Whitewashed Baskets – $34.99

Use baskets to arrange the easy way. Baskets are the preferred organizing tool of most decorators I have spoken to, and with great reason. Put simply about anything in a good-looking basket, and suddenly it is not a mess — it is a fashion statement.

Fill one basket with shore supplies and yet another with picnic gear, and place both by the front door. This way, when the mood strikes to take a day trip, all you have to do is catch a basket and proceed.

Merchandise pick: I Really like these capacious baskets from Privet House for Target. They are totally classic appearing and a bargain to boot up.

Gardens by Gabriel, Inc..

Receive an aloe plant to alleviate burns. Nothing compares to the soothing power of a true aloe plant on sunburns. In case you haven’t ever tried it, you will be amazed. Only cut a small bit from the plant and slice it open, then place the gooey within the leaf directly on the affected area for immediate relief.

Clarke Appliance Showrooms

Clean the grill. If your barbecue has been gathering dust since this past year, now is the time to pull it out and give it a good scrubbing. Wash the outside with mild soap and water, and wash the grates with a grill brush. When there is really stubborn grime on the grate, try lighting the grill and scrubbing the grate again once it is hot. And remember to use pads!

Kikkerland Design

First Aid Box – $23

Restock your first aid kit, and place one outside. With barbecue burns, splinters, scrapes on bare foot and thorns and prickles in the backyard, summer is frequently full of minor accidents. Be prepared using a caked first aid kit, both inside and out.

Merchandise select: This traditional enameled first aid box looks so smart, you won’t mind leaving it in plain sight. Fill with your own supplies.

Target

Privet House Melamine Tableware – $3.49

Refresh your outdoor dining set. Any outside kitchen worth its salt should come fully stocked with adorable dinnerware. Of course, you can always take the real dishes outside, but sometimes it is nice to not have to worry about breaking things.

Merchandise pick: The new Privet House collection for Target has a great deal to offer for the outside kitchen, including the unbreakable tableware exhibited here, available in a range of cheerful preppy prints.

Wayne Windham Architect, P.A.

Check fences for gaps and holes. When you have pets who need corralling, now is a good time to do a perimeter sweep and also check for areas you might have to fix. In case you have dogs, pay particular attention to areas where they like to dig.

Smith & Vansant Architects PC

Hang a hammock. Could you think of anything else that seems quite so relaxing? String one up now and it’ll serve as a visual reminder to pause and savor the moment.

AllModern

Akiko Teak and Steel Petanque Bocce Game Set – $362.68

Pull out the old yard games and look for missing pieces. Dig out the boccie balls, croquet set and outside sports paraphernalia from the basement and also give it a once-over. When you’re certain the sets are complete, find an available place to store them for the remainder of the season. A massive metal overtake or storage bin near the rear door is ideal.

Colors Of Green Landscape Architecture

Hang up a classic tree swing — even if you don’t have children. There is something so cheering about sitting on a swing hung from a great tree. If you’re lucky enough to have a significant tree in your yard, make the most of it, and I believe that you will find it will become a favored spot, whether there are kiddos around or not.

Target

Room Essentials Clear Globe Lights – $14.99

Consider putting in outside outlets and hang a strand or two of lights. Twinkling lights really are a wonderful way to add ambiance to outside seating areas. If you love this appearance, but lack the exterior outlets that make it easy, consider making this year you spring for an electrician’s visit.

Merchandise pick: I love the old-fashioned glow of those globe-style series lighting. Consider mixing a few strands and crisscrossing them within an outside dining table.

Studio William Hefner

Insert a water feature. The sound of burbling water is very soothing and has the extra plus of muffling unwanted noise from neighbors or a busy road. Customized water features such as the one displayed here are stunning, even though there are lots of additional more palatable options if you look around. For starters, Sunset magazine has directions for a straightforward DIY fountain utilizing a fundamental glazed pot.

Inform us What is your preferred way to welcome summer?

See related