Get ready for a quick spring clean-up!

As we head into the spring season, we know that all cottage owners have spring clean-up on their minds. There is no reason that the spring clean-up weekend needs to take whole weekend. Here is a way to do the clean-up and still have fun on this weekend.

Let’s tackle this in two parts. The cottage clean-up and then the property clean-up. So, what are the main things that we need to do to the cottage. First, we need to check and clean the deck. First check for pieces of the deck that are splintered or need replacing and replace those pieces before painting or sealing if that is what you are doing. Before you stain or paint the deck, we would suggest that you clean it a bleach free cleaner. We prefer the biodegradable and phosphate free. This same cleaner is what we would power wash any outdoor furniture with and stones.

Next, we would clean the outside of the cottage. Again, with a power washer and an outdoor spray we would spray from the top down so that the dirt does not re-stain the cleaned parts.

Now let’s move to the property around the cottage. Before you can relax and enjoy your property let’s start by clearing all the fallen branches from over the winter. Put them all in a pile and start burning them in your fire pit (after clearing it out) or cut them into wood for later use at the firepit. We cover our larger shrubs in the winter to prevent damages, so we remove and put away those covers. Next let’s head to the garden. Pull out any weeds that are there before you plant or deal with the soil. Next, we mulch the soil to ensure that it protects what is coming up in the spring and post May 24 weekend we would plant our annuals and put up our hanging baskets. Lastly, we need to get the fire pit ready to burn the yard debris and get ready to roast our marshmallows and s’mores. If your fire pit has a sand base, then just remove all the ashes from the prior season and any large pieces of debris that may have blown in over the winter. Now you are ready to go and enjoy your cottage!

As always, we look forward to hearing from you!

Happy Cottaging!