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Outdoor Spaces: Spring Spruce Up
Bringing Your Backyard Back to Life
By Patricia Guth
Spring is here, the perfect time to think about opening your home to family and friends for pool-side BBQs, lawn games and fun get-togethers. What better place to gather than your backyard! But if you’re like most homeowners, your backyard probably suffered a bit of neglect during winter. Now is the time, while the weather is still mild, to rejuvenate that barbecue, landscape, swimming pool and outdoor furniture. Come summertime, you’ll be ready to cool off in a beautiful, well maintained backyard oasis.
Get Cookin’
Spring is a great time to do the necessary annual maintenance that will keep your BBQ grilling all summer long. Set aside one weekend afternoon to perform a few essentials.
Rub a Dub
Preheat your barbecue in order to soften any food residue, then turn off the heat. When it is cool enough to touch, yet warm enough to easily remove greasy byproducts, don heavy work gloves and remove any parts that aren’t fastened down–such as grills, warming racks, rock grates/bars and lava or ceramic briquettes–and lay them on newspaper. Scrub the inside of the grill with warm, soapy water (dish soap is fine), commercial cleaning agents like GooGone BBQ Grill Cleaner or environmentally friendly products like SoyClean or SunBrite, and a steel wool pad. Rinse with a hose, let dry, and coat with cooking spray or oil to prevent rusting.
Next, clean individual parts in hot, soapy water, spray them with cooking oil and let air dry completely before re-assembly. Check for any broken or cracked parts, replacing as needed. You may also want to replace lava rocks or briquettes, available at most garden, home and barbecue stores, or update your cooking surface with modern, non-flare up ceramic grill tiles available at www.thenoflaresquare.com.
Making the Connection
For gas or propane grills, test hoses and connectors for leaks by applying soapy water at the connections. Turn the gas on briefly but do not light barbecue. If the mixture bubbles, you have a leak that needs repair. If the propane tank valve is leaking, simply tighten the connections. If hose fittings are leaking, you may need to replace them. In addition, if one side of your gas grill doesn’t produce a good, blue flame, you probably have a blockage in a gas jet or venturi tube. Check out the “Grill How To” section at www.gasgrillsnow.com for detailed information on cleaning these and other important parts of your grill. Always use extreme caution when dealing with propane and natural gas. If you feel hesitant, contact Southwest Gas for help and information.
Adding Sparkle
Brighten up the outside of your grill by using high-temperature barbecue paint on any outside surfaces that have faded. (Try Krylon or Rust-Oleum, available at Lowes or Home Depot.) NEVER paint the inside of the barbecue. Wait for paint to dry before re-assembling grill.
Clean stainless steel grills with warm, soapy water or industrial stove or barbecue stainless steel cleaner, using a non-abrasive sponge or brush (never steel wool), and buff with a soft cloth for a brilliant shine.
Pool Particulars
Getting the pool ready for summer playtime also requires some routine maintenance. Probably the most overlooked task is cleaning out your filter pumps. Ideally, these should be rinsed out every month or so, as they become clogged with debris. This causes the water pressure to drop, preventing your pool sweep or in-floor cleaning system from operating at full capacity.
Follow the directions from your pool equipment manual for removing the filters from their housing. Rinse the filters until the water runs almost clear. This is best accomplished by using the high pressure hoses at a self-serve carwash rather than a home garden hose, and because they recycle their water, there’s no water waste. In addition:
• Inspect the deck for cracks or areas that need to be repainted or refinished.
• Check inside the pool for loose tiles or plaster chips, and give your grout a good cleaning with special grout cleaner (available at pool supply stores) to prevent calcium buildup.
• If you don’t have an auto-fill, bring the water level to its proper height.
• Have your water analyzed by a professional (Leslie’s Pool Supply will do this) to determine what chemicals are needed for proper balance. You may need to drain the pool periodically if the water will no longer hold chemicals.
Sprinkler Savvy
As the heat arrives, nothing will kill your lawn quicker than a broken or leaky sprinkler system. Look for signs of underground leakage or breaks in the pipe by testing each individual station and observing its performance. Tell tale signs include reduced water pressure in a specific station as well as muddy ground water or sink holes near the pipes or sprinkler heads. During this same check, also look for missing, broken or clogged heads, and be sure that all the sprinklers are spraying in the right direction and proper pressure. Replace and adjust as needed. You should also check for watering schedules in your area by visiting the Las Vegas Valley Water District website at www.lvvwd.com.
Yard Work
Once hot weather comes it may be too late to treat your grass with certain chemicals, so now is the time to fertilize and treat for annoying pests and fungus that can kill your grass and plants in a matter of weeks. Take this opportunity to put your lawn and flowers on a fertilization schedule. An easy way to remember to fertilize is to do so on every major holiday. Choose a fertilizer that incorporates a fungicide agent to protect against airborne fungus, prevalent in the summer months. Be sure to consult with your garden store for the best percentage of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus suited for the outdoor temperature at a given time, as high concentrations of some chemicals can burn your lawn and flowers in the summer heat. Inspect all plants for nibbles, treating as necessary to eradicate pests.
Finally, prepare your lawnmower by taking it in for a check-up and having the blade sharpened. You may also wish to rub the blades periodically with rubbing alcohol to kill any fungus and prevent a previous infestation from reoccurring.
Finishing Touches
If your patio furniture is looking less than fabulous, take time to restore it to its original beauty. Any metal, plastic or wood furniture can be painted for a quick fix. (Use rust-proof paint on metal furniture.) Replace loose bolts, screws, etc. Wash vinyl seat cushions with soap and water. Fabric cushions can be put in the washing machine if small enough, otherwise, use upholstery cleaner.
If your cushions are beyond saving and you wish to invest in some new ones, check out www.customcushions.net or www.patio-furniture-cushions.com for a large selection of replacements. For odd sized pillows or for a more custom look, consult with companies that restore outdoor furniture cushions. They typically provide better quality and more varied fabrics, and can also fix and coordinate matching umbrellas, throw pillows and even patio curtains.
Add some new accessories, including potted plants, backyard wall art, a small fountain and perhaps even a comfortable hammock strung between a few sturdy trees – a perfect place to rest after spring cleaning is completed!
