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How involved is it to get your house ready for summer? What different steps do you take? Do you change out bed coverings/linens, sofa and chair pillows, curtains, windows, etc, etc?

I am beginning to think I have to pare down the necessary tasks (or maybe not so necessary in some cases)

We do have to wash the front and side porches and their furnishings. also put those furnishings in place.

Switch out the storm windows for the screens inc. removing one whole door on side to porch and including some cellar and one door which need to be screwed in and out. Hopefully wash the windows inside and out (doubt this will get done completely)

Remove all the warm throws (fake fur/cashmere) and the winter pillows. Replace with lighter versions. Change out the curtains in the sitting room.

Organize the attic, putting everything winter away and getting out the standing fans (six) which we need at least for a day or two!

Change the grandchildren's winter bedding for summer. Remove all winter window coverings in attic (think I am not going to do this again. . one night is what they spent here!)

Somehow crawl under this computer table or around it or remove it to open the window up in this tiny space.

Change my bed quilt for a lighter one.

Scrub the patio table and chairs, organize the yard furnishings. also the plants we usually have on the back porch.

I think this is all getting overwhelming. so how involved are your preparations and do you try to eliminate some?

I live in Perfect Weather Year Round town, so there's not a lot I need to do yearly, but after 5 years of sitting in the sun, i have to replace the sprinkler manifolds that have all cracked and sprung leaks.

I washed the windows and screens and hosed off the patio furniture.

Soon it will be time to either buy a replacement top for my gazebo or spend the cash for a whole new permanent patio cover.

Just like Wendek I'm a Florida gal so not much to do around here except I change out my toss pillows and drapes in our dining area as I prefer a beige monochromatic look for the summer. I also just ordered a new bed quilt in ivory. Its a small change, but for me it really makes a nice change and get me rethinking about my decor and gets me cleaning things out along the way.

I also live in a warm year-round climate so I don't have much to do structurally, but decoratively, I change out bedding, china, throw pillows and accessories to lighter summer versions.

Tons of things to do. Wash windows and screens. Clean out the pond, open the pool, clean up the yard, add some mulch, plant flowers, clean patio furniture, clean up and put the boat in the water, the list goes on and on.

Unfortunately, it only last for a few months and then it's time to put everything back!

Because my home is decorated in a "year around style"There is very little that I do to "summeriz" my home.
What I do do is remove and wash the filter in my AC unit,and replace the heavy wool blanket on my bed with a light weight cotten blanket. I send the winter blanket to the cleaners to be cleaned and then place it a pillow case to store in my ceder chest untill next year.I also clean out my fireplace of any unbunded wood and sweep out the ashes.( I save the ashes to use on the ice that seems to form every winter on my sidwalks, requardless of how much I shoveal and salt. If I have any ashes left over, I dg them into my garden.
Other then that, I check my food storage cabinet to make sure that I have enough "stuff" to make the light summer salads, that I like to eat rather the the big heavy meals I make in the winter.
Thats about it.
Mary

Reading some of these posts makes me glad we retired to a year-round mild climate.

The only thing I do for the change in seasons, such as they are in Central Texas, is to take my overwintered tropical plants from the garage back to the screen porch in late March. (They go back to the garage in December.) That's it.

We also remove and store the electric blanket on our bed until January. All my furnishings and accessories are of the year-round variety. Twice a year we have the windows and screens professionally cleaned;the furnace serviced in October, and the A/C in May. Carpets are deep-cleaned in November.

Our professional yard maintenance crew takes care of the grounds and all the seasonal things like fertilizing, pruning, etc. Worth every penny.

I don't make many changes to the interior...change out some of the throw pillows on the sofa, pack away the throws that were on the sofa, change a couple of the art pieces in that same room...that's it. The outside is a different story! March and April are crazy! We have 14 (I think) live oak trees, which shed all their leaves in the spring. It takes me about six weekends to clean that mess up (and dh does help); then all the shrubs have to be trimmed back, new annuals bought (most in pots but some planted), the screened porch furniture taken out and cleaned, inside of the screened porch cleaned, and furniture put back, and then I can start "regular" lawn maintenance until about October (roll-eyes)

Lady,

That is quite a list of chores to accomplish each summer. It would overwhelm most people for sure. I hope you have some helpers to assist you or break it down into small tasks.

I don't change out anything for the different seasons. The so-called Spring cleaning is done in the Fall just in time for the holidays. Spring time is when I start my gardening before it gets too hot.

Good Luck on your list.

It's easy for us --

We take out the plants

Scrub down the porch

Put away the heavy winter throws

Make sure there are always fresh garden flowers on tabletops.

Martha

Well, I am tired after reading this thread! And stressed. I don't want to hear about anymore things that I probably should be doing, but don't want to be reminded of.

Ha ha.

Besides maintenance (power washing the deck and porches, the house, garage door, outdoor furniture) and gardening stuff I change out my living room -- all art work is changed out to framed floral photography of my garden, other art work is changed out, valances, mirrors and area rugs are changed out. I do the same in September for fall and then after Thanksgiving for winter. Art work in kitchen is changed too for the seasons. Thinking about it now, spring photo art, like my avatar, is changed too. So no tulips or daffodils in June ;-)

LOS that's a lot of work for such a short season. Glad you decided not to change out the curtains in the attic -- if the kids come just pull them back for some air! After all they are there to see you and their grand dad, not the bedroom decor I'm sure. Any chance you can get a few of the windows modernized a bit to make life a little easier?

wow I'm worn out reading what you do LOS!!

um... I open the windows...

seriously? I open the windows.

We keep the warm throws, it usually stays cool in this house if not downright cold throughout our short summer. I ADDED a quilt last night, I made the mistake of taking it off a couple nights ago. We have lace panel curtains year round. If I'm feeling frisky I may have the kids wash the outdoor furniture.

We do do a lot of work. I did not include the yard maintenance or outside things like DH painting the front porch steps yesterday and the whole back porch is also on his schedule.

At one time I used to send the wool l.r. rug out to be cleaned and stored and put down a cotton rug!

We have no garage so all outside furnishings have to be stored either outside or on our screened porch which is only screened. Even though we cover the furnishings it is not enough to keep them clean, so they do need washing in the spring.

However my disposition seems to be such that I make a big deal out of what is simpler for some folks (trained this way as a child) i.e. I still hang my laundry out weather permitting and it is getting harder to carry a full basket of wet sheets etc. up the cellar stairs.

I wish I did have those "tip in" windows for ease of cleaning but that would mean replacing our antique windows which mean a lot to us!

It is harder to do such tasks in a climate like Maine's. Our temps can go from way below 0 in the winter up till, like last year during our 50th when we had 104∞ temps! You do have to accommodate for both conditions even if they are only for a day or two. Of course a lot of people just ditch Maine in the winter and go south!

LOS,
LOL I have a few neighbors who 'ditch' Florida in the Summer and head North!

I do not mind the hot summers here, I just hybernate more with my books and things to keep me busy while inside during the afternoons. Before I know it, the weather cools down for early fall cooled down nights.

Like others have said, the list for us is endless as well and it is sooooooo hard, mainly due to living in the deep country and having to deal with pollen for about 2 months. We tryyyy to wait til it's all through, but we end up jumping the *un and get sick (literally because of asthma) and go ahead and pressure wash several times. Another reason we have to jump the *un is cause of heavy company in spring/summer.

We also have tons of windows to clean; DH does all of the outs and I do the ins.

Truly, I dream of one day condo-living where all the outside stuff is done and I can drive in to beautifully landscaped grounds that I don't have to attend to, no porches to wash down, etc.

We have eight guests arriving in two weeks so I'm busting my caboose to summerize! Cleaning, putting away seasonal decor, yard work, etc.

Last weekend I finished edging a flower bed and planting lavender. Fresh mulch is down and the hummingbirds are loving the salvia in it! DH is trying to get the sprinkler system to co-operate...

Yesterday we chose a very pretty new color for the front door (BM's "Rocky Mtn Sky") and weather permitting (it is already hot) we'll paint this week. That will freshen things up! Today I cleaned out the fireplace for the last time until fall and am trying to get fresh air into the house.

Next weekend will be a good seasonal cleaning of the carpet. Blech! Do not look forward to that but at least no one will be tracking mud in for a few months!

link to the paint color

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/e...lor/rockymountainsky

This message has been edited. Last edited by: junk collector,

Most of our stuff falls in the maintenance category.

Since we are just now finally moving into the house we bought a year ago, I'm not planning any interior "summerizing."

But, normally, I do like to change out a FEW accessories, all the window treatments, and the bed linens.

Think the biggest changes come in the kitchen, where my cooking changes, as well. So, some things are switched out. The automatic reamer is more likely to be put away since oranges are in season during the cool season. If I need lemon juice for a recipe, I have an old glass reamer I use.

I also change out the dishes. The fall dishes, as well as the winter dishes tucked away. The spring and summer dishes are put into the cabinet.

I also update the outside entryways. Our old place didn't have much, since it was just stairs with no porches at the entrances. NOW we have porches, so while I don't have time THIS year to do much, I'm having a lot of fun planning for winter decor, and next summer.