Preparing Your Home and Family for Spring!

Spring is here and with the great warm weather this week, we will see Spring come alive. With the great Spring weather, however, also come Spring storms. Preparing our home and family for Spring and for Spring storms is very important. Read on to find some information on preparing your home, family, and landscaping for Spring.

Preparing Your Home for Spring

1. Check your windows and doors to make sure they are caulked properly and that weather stripping is properly installed. Gaps in these areas can lead to pests, water, and energy leaks.
2. Have your A/C properly serviced to make sure that it is running properly and at its best. This will save your money and help keep you cool.
3. Get your house treated regularly for pests. The warm weather can drive them inside. Prevent this before it becomes a problem with regular pest control.
4. Check your smoke detectors to ensure that they work. Change the batteries if it has been one year since you have installed new batteries. Although this is not just a Spring problem, now is a good time to check it.
5. Play the inventory game. Let your kids help by taking pictures, a video, or simply making lists of all valuables, electronics, etc in your home and their serial number and other important information.

Preparing Your Landscape for Spring

1. If you are planning on adding new plants to your garden, get proper information about when to plant the species that you want.
2. Make sure that you don't have drainage issues around your property. If you find that water sits around the perimeter of your home or in areas around your property, have those issues solved before Spring storms come and make it impossible to repair quickly. Water that sits around your foundation can cause cracks and other foundation problems later. Don't assume it won't happen to your home. Foundation problems are more expensive to repair than drainage problems and will affect the resale ability of your home as well.
3. Weed around your plants now and add 3 inches of mulch to help keep the soil moist and weeds away.
4. Ensure that you have proper insurance coverage in the event that a disaster or a theft occur. Check the link for more information.
   

Preparing Your Family for Spring

1. Make sure that you have a fire escape plan, fire escape ladders, and tornado shelter in your home.
   
2. Practice your fire escape plan and what to do in the event of a tornado. Practice will help keep your children calm because they will know what to do.
3. Make sure your children are aware of what happens in a storm, tornado, etc. and what to do if they are away from the home. For example, know not to go under a bridge (in the overpass) during severe weather/tornado could save their life. Be prepared! Local TV weather station websites are great places to learn this life-saving information.

In the event that you have property damage from a Spring storm, contact home maintenance professionals to have repairs done.

For more information on these areas contact the following professionals:

Tulsa, OK Pest Control- Duane Montgomery, Montgomery Exterminating at 918-438-4885 or www.montgomeryexterminating.com.

Roofing Repair or Replacement in Tulsa, OK- Judy Smith, A-Best Roofing, 918-587-1426 or www.abestroofing.com.

A/C Service and Installation in the Tulsa, OK area- Stephen Taylor, Air Assurance, 258-COOL or www.airassurance.com.