July 25th, 2009
Keeping your gutters clean can save a great deal of money. When leaves and other debris are allowed to collect in the gutters, water can’t drain properly. This can cause the water to wick up under the roof shingles, where it can cause expensive damage to the roof and eaves of your house. The water can also spill over the edges of the gutters and damage your house’s siding or foundation. This damage can also be costly to repair.
Having properly cleaned gutters is also important to the health and well being of your family. Clogged gutters result in standing water, which can breed disease carrying mosquitoes.
Of course, cleaning the gutters yourself can be risky. Being unused to climbing ladders can result in dangerous falls when attempting to clean the gutters yourself. The job will require several trips up and down the ladder while carrying tools in your hands. It’s also a messy job to clean out mud, rotting leaves, bird droppings, and whatever else happens to get caught there. Hiring someone to keep those gutters clean is well worth the money spent on this important maintenance task.
Gutters should be cleaned twice per year, in the spring and in the fall. The spring cleaning is a chance to clean out debris that may have accumulated during the rainy months. However, if only one cleaning per year can be managed, it should be in late fall or early winter, after all the leaves have fallen.
Hiring an experienced professional to clean your gutters is a good investment. You’ll avoid costly damage to your house, avoid injury to yourself or other family members, and prevent the potential health problems associated with standing water.
Scheduling someone to clean your gutters is the easy, smart way to maintain the value of your property and the health and safety of your family.
Tags: Add new tag, clean gutters, contractor, Gutters, gutters damages, gutters repair, Handyman, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Landscaping, roof, shingles roof
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June 16th, 2009
By Krista Tannahill
The key to a beautiful lawn is proper maintenance and care. Here are several quick and easy guidelines that will help you keep your grass healthy and robust all season long.
Moisture
Lawns need approximately one inch of water per week. Anything more than this can be detrimental to the health of the grass. Use a rain gauge to monitor the level of moisture in the soil. When your lawn requires additional moisture set the sprinkler for 20-30 minutes in the early hours of the morning.
Aeration
Aerating the lawn allows air, water and nutrients to seep directly into to the root area of the grass. It also alleviates soil compression allowing roots to spread out and multiply creating a thicker more nutrient rich lawn.
Mulch and Grass Cycling
Mulch adds nutrients to the lawn and helps to retain moisture which reduces the need for watering. Leave grass clippings on the lawn to reduce the need for fertilizer and encourages the natural aeration by insects and worms.
Mowing & Blade Care
Mow your lawn once every couple of weeks allowing the grass time to grow. Tall grass preserves water, keeps the sun from drying the soil and delivers much needed nutrients to the roots. Tall grass encourages the roots to grow deep into the soil. This allows the grass to reach additional moisture reserves and become resistant to periods of drought or dry weather. In addition a stronger root mass enables the lawn to fight off infection, disease and weed invasion.
Sharpen your mower blades approximately two to three times per mowing season. A sharper blade will help preserve the integrity of the grass keeping it healthy and resistant to infection. Torn or wounded grass can be problematic and result in an increased susceptibility to infection and disease.
Weed Prevention
In order to prevent the invasion of weeds it is important to determine the pH balance of the soil. Soil conditions will determine whether you have a lawn filled with weeds or a healthy lawn filled with lush growing grass. Weeds prefer acidic or alkaline soil while lawn grass prefers neutral or slightly acidic soil. Invest in a soil testing kit to find out if you need to correct the pH balance of your lawn.
If you do encounter weeds the best method of removal is by hand as this will preserve the growth and integrity of the surrounding grass. Weed killers or sprays can be damaging to the surrounding grass and do more harm to your lawn than good.
By following these simple strategies your lawn will remain lush and healthy all summer long.
Tags: Add new tag, Architect, Cleaning Service, Construction projects, Handyman, home, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, lanscaping, lawn, Lawn Care, md, Residential services
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