Now that we have survived the winter, it is time to prepare your cottage for summer with a good spring cleanup. Personally, I look forward to the spring cleanup at the cottage because it means that summer is right around the corner. In this blog, we thought we would take advantage of the season and share our list of the steps necessary to prepare your cottage for the summer. 

1. If you winterized your cottage last fall, it is now time to dewinterize the cottage.  It may be wise to consult with a local plumber as to the steps involved with dewinterizing your cottage.

2. Spruce up the interior of the cottage with a good cleaning.

3. Clean the outside of the cottage with a pressure washer.

4. Wash all of the windows - both inside and outside.

5. Wash the window screens prior to placing them back in the windows.

6. Clean up the outside furniture and put it back into place on your deck/beach.

7. Determine if the deck needs to be stained and/or any deck boards replaced.

8. Fertilize the lawn and start up the mower.

9. Attend to your perennial plants (i.e., pruning and weeding) and, after the threat of an overnight freeze has passed, plant your annuals in your flower boxes.

10. Stock up on firewood for the many campfires that you will soon be having.

11. Fill the propane tank or stock up on charcoal, depending on the type of grill you own. 

12. Add fresh beach sand to your beach area (after first obtaining any necessary permits, of course!).

13. Give your dock the "TLC" it desperately needs and then put it in the water.

14. Enjoy!

Although the above list may seem overwhelming, hopefully you will find that the excitement of the upcoming summer helps to get you through all of the spring cleanup steps in no time!