How-To Get Your Deck Summer Ready in 10 Easy Steps!

We found a great article on www.ringsend.com titled, "How-To Get Your Deck Summer Ready in 10 Easy Steps!". The article was published just before Memorial Day Weekend with some great tips on how to spruce up your deck for the festivities and summer months. You can check out the article here or begin reading below.

"How-To Get Your Deck Summer Ready in 10 Easy Steps!"
By Ringsend.com

With Memorial Day just around the corner, there's one important chore on your list that you don't want to forget. Before you put the cushions on your patio furniture and get your grill fired up, make sure you take the time to give your deck a proper cleaning. It no only keeps your deck looking its best, but will also keep you safe from dangerous, slippery slime, help your deck to last longer and reduce maintenance over the long haul.

Note: This is a job for a sunny day. Make sure there's no rain predicted because it can take several hours to dry completely.

1. Clear The Decks - Make sure you can easily access the entire deck without damaging your outdoor furniture, grill or other accessories. If possible, move everything off of the deck to the yard. If you can't do that, try stacking the furniture to have as little as possible standing on the deck.

Click here to read the entire article.

Prioritize backyard safety for a sweeter summer

Most of us view our backyard as an extension of indoor living space where we can relax and entertain, where no harm will come to us, our children or our pets.

However, from a practical and statistical standpoint, this is an incorrect assumption. Accidents can happen anywhere at any time, and just like you childproof your house, you need to childproof your backyard.

Keeping your backyard childproof begins with your fence. A yard without a fence is a little like a house without walls. Fences help protect children from danger, keeping toddlers out of swimming pools, hot tubs and ponds or keeping them in the yard, away from busy traffic or strangers. Fences can also help keep your own pets in your yard, and other animals out. They can reduce your liability by preventing injuries to uninvited guests on your property, or damage or injury caused by escaped pets.

"A good weekend home improvement project should be ensuring that your fences and gates are functioning properly and are protected from rust, a destructive force that can render gate hardware useless or dangerous," says Jim Paterson, senior vice president of D&D Technologies, which manufactures gate latches and hinges made of ultra-strong engineering polymers. "In our research, we found that when homeowners consider their fencing needs, rusty metal gate hardware that no longer functions properly or becomes a threat to children was their No. 1 concern. Most homeowners are not aware that rust-free and adjustable gate hardware is available."

Additional precautions to take when childproofing your backyard:

• Cover any protruding bolts on swing sets and do not attach ropes or cords, which could become strangulation hazards.
• Remove old tree stumps and rocks, level concrete footings to avoid tripping.
• Seal wooded items such as decks, swing sets and picnic tables yearly and remove and sand any rough areas to avoid splinters.
• Completely fence pool and spa areas with self-closing latch and self-latching gates, with latches out of the reach of children such as the MagnalatchTM Safety Gate Latch. Eliminate access to lawn equipment and chemicals. Put these items completely out of the reach of children.
• Keep a first aid kit accessible, and a rescue kit for those backyards with water features, as well as your mobile phone.

Your backyard can be one of the most exciting places for your children this summer, a little prevention along the way will keep it safe and provide wonderful memories for your family.