Spring Clean Inside and Out

You're ready for spring, but is your house ready? As the weather warms up, add these items to your springtime to-do list:

Make an appointment with a licensed service technician to give your air conditioning system a once-over. Regular maintenance can extend the life of your system.

Clean the area around your air condi-tioner’s outside condenser unit. Brush dirt and leaves off of the unit and pick up any tree limbs that might have landed on it over the winter. Resist the urge to plant bushes and flowers around the unit; anything touching it could prevent air from circulating around it.

Scrub the winter grime off your home’s windows—inside and out. Sparkling clean windows let more sunlight into your house, which means you won’t have to turn on as many lights.

Dust off hard-to-reach ceiling fans. Remove the lint from your dryer hose and vent. Wipe down heating grates and radiators, now that heating season is over. Look around your house for infrequently cleaned electrical devices and remove dust and dirt.