Time to bust out those jorts — spring is here! Unveil those pasty legs and strap on your Terry sweatband; it’s time to get to work on springifying your home.

Let’s talk interior first. If you didn’t do it at the daylight savings time change, now's the time to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries. Speaking of hazards, go ahead and clean out your dryer vents. Replace the miscellaneous filters around your house — water, air vent, range hood. If you have no filter, just keep telling everyone exactly what you’re thinking at any given time and keep winning friends with your “honesty.” Speaking of tough love, ever take a shower and feel like the water is stabbing you with wee little daggers? Yeah, you should soak your shower head in a vinegar/water mix for an hour, then rinse with warm water. Repeat for other faucets. Is your flooring a slightly different color after winter, a little hazier perhaps? Mopping at least once a year is generally a good idea. You rotated your liquors in the fall, now it’s time to bring the clear crew back up front — gin and tonics are on the phone and they want to hang out with you on the deck.

Ah yes, your deck! The yard and home exterior have a big list of things they want checked off. Get your patio shipshape — sweep away debris, clean up or drag out your outdoor furniture, get your grill cleaned and prepped for charred meat parties. Rake your yard, finish what you started in the fall. Is that green starting to sprout in the yard? Yep, time to get your lawn mower serviced so you can start your weekly mowing (or bi-weekly if you’re one of those people). We like to call this “exercise,” especially if you have your fitness tracker running. You’ll probably notice some bare spots in your yard; do some seeding to make it happier. Your garden and flower beds need some attention while you’re doing this yardwork. Plant bulbs, prep soil, clean it all up. Trim bushes and trees, check for broken branches. Irrigation water, hoses, sprinklers — all those need inspection and prepping now as well.

The house exterior needs some attention too. Clean your gutters again. You can never clean your gutters enough — clogs cause water leaks, which cause unsightly stains and damage. Yuck. While you have the BIG ladder out, inspect the roof. What kind of terror did Old Man Winter wreak on the top of your house? Look for cracks, missing shingles, see how the flashing looks. Have a swamp cooler? Check her out, take off the cover, it will be hot before you know it. Safety first though for all this roof fun. No one needs a broken arm right when cycling season is really getting going. Foundation vents need some checking in; clear away debris and clean vents, make any repairs. Lucky enough to have AC? Yep, inspect that, get it revved up for the summer swelter. And the number one thing you can do to bring happiness to everyone? Clean your windows — outside and in. What is that, unbridled sunlight I suddenly see?

This should keep you busy for a while, but the reward is sweet, sweet times outside. And your boss won’t know if you start working on your back deck vs. your home office. We won’t tell them, we promise.

Spring Is Here: Get Your Home Ready