June Tune-Ups For Your Home

Ah, June. School’s out, the days are long, and the weather’s getting toasty. We get it—your vacation is beckoning. But before you slather yourself with SPF 75 and reach for a piña colada, do yourself a favor and tackle a few maintenance projects. A little pain now means a big gain later—you’ll ensure your home runs smoothly through the dog days of summer.

Don’t worry: We’re here to make it as quick and easy on you as possible. With our handy checklist of home maintenance chores, you can knock ’em out and get back to that piña colada, pronto.

Check AC & Stop Mold Before It Starts

“The last thing you want is a busted air conditioner, so before a heat wave hits, give it a test run for 30 minutes to make sure it’s cooling properly,” says Jack Wallace, of Anderson A/C Electric & Heating Co., Plano, TX. June also kicks off a stretch of some of the hottest months of the year, especially in North Texas where frequent rain is also the norm. All that heat and moisture provide the perfect climate for mold to flourish, says Wallace.

Shortcut: To extend the life of your AC unit, adjust your programmable thermostat by only 2 to 3 degrees at a time. Here’s an easy trick you can use to keep mold at bay: Lower your thermostat temperature. Warmer temperatures contain more moisture so setting you thermostat higher results in more moisture in the house.

“Some homeowners try to save money by setting the thermostat at an unsafe high temperature, especially in high humidity areas,” Wallace says. “The cost savings on the power bill could quickly be far outdone if you end up with a mold problem.”

Also avoid leaving your AC fan in the “ON” position (instead use the “AUTO” setting). This can cause rapid mold growth, especially in high-humidity regions. Here’s why: If your fan is running continuously, then any moisture that’s condensed on your AC’s evaporator coil during cooling doesn’t have a chance to drain off—and it can be blown back into your home.

Wallace also cautions against trying to limit or increase airflow to certain rooms by shutting supply grills. That can cause condensation buildup, leading to mold growth around those grills and in the adjacent ceiling or wall.

Prime Your Pool

Ernesto Medrano, owner of DFW Pools, recommends that your pool’s pH level be checked often to keep the chemicals balanced and your pool safe for swimming. Medrano suggests that the pool pump run daily (one hour for every 10 degrees of heat in the water is a good rule of thumb). This and keeping the pool pH balanced with proper chlorine levels between 7.2 and 7.8 for the cleanest and safest water and you will help avoid that swampy green color.

Shortcut: Medrano recommends that a supply of ‘pool shock’ (dry chlorine packets) if you forget and come home to a green pool. Just clean the pool filter, then apply the ‘pool shock’ per directions and run your pool pump for 24 hours. You’ll have to brush the pool surface well to remove the dead algae and then clean out your pool filter again.

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North Texas Lawn Update

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The recipe for a healthy lawn is pretty basic. The ingredients are sun, water, and food (fertilizer.) Where things get tricky is with our weather in North Texas. Lawn experts have learned over the years it is imperative to make sure your sprinkler system is ready and in peak performance for our hot and dry summer months. Of course, no matter how you try you can end up with brown patches in your lawn. Watch the following video for tips on removing these unsightly patches.

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Service Sprinklers

Service your yard’s irrigation system to save water, prevent damage to your landscaping, and reduce standing water.

Shortcut: Make sure your sprinklers are programmed to follow any local water rationing regulations, and program your system to optimal summer use settings to keep the landscape looking fresh. Remember, in the DFW Metroplex it is VERY important that the foundation be kept evenly moist and not allowed to ‘dry out’ to avoid settlement that could cost several thousands of dollars to repair.

Tune Up Lawn Mower

Use compressed air or a leaf blower to clear grass, dirt, and debris that have accumulated in your riding lawn mower. Drain old fuel into an approved gasoline can, and follow hazardous waste disposal regulations to get rid of it. Then, change your oil and filter: experts recommend letting the mower run for a bit before you start mowing. If you have a foam air filter, clean it with soap and water, and make sure it’s dry before reinstalling.

Finally, change the spark plugs. This simple but crucial task will help the mower start smoother and run more efficiently,

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Eradicate Pests

Warm weather draws out all the creepy-crawlies. But you can give summer bugs the boot (or at least keep them at a comfortable distance).

Shortcuts:

• Trim shrubs or bushes that touch your home’s exterior (which can harbor wood-destroying insects such as termites, carpenter ants, and powderpost beetles).

• Swap mercury vapor outdoor lightbulbs with yellow sodium vapor ones, which are less attractive to insects such as mosquitoes, moths, and beetles.

• Weed thick vegetation and pick ripe fruits and vegetables as soon as they’re ready.

• Keep bird feeders at least 25 feet from your house—spilled seeds can attract rodents.

One of the most bothersome summer pests are mosquitos who seem to know when you're planning an outdoor party. We all know that mosquitos are drawn to certain odors (for example, perspiration and carbon dioxide), and are repelled by others, like citrus and geraniolm he citronella candles. As it turns out, they feel the same way about some colors.  

As it turns out mosquitoes are attracted to the heat retained by dark clothing: black, browns, dark blue and the like are especially appealing. Lighter-colored clothing is more likely to reflect heat, so mosquitoes are less likely to notice it. That’s not to say that you’ll go completely untouched, but if you wear white, beige, or yellow, the mosquitoes will nibble on your friends in the darker clothing first.  

In addition to color and certain odors there are some foods that mosquitos find inviting so the question is: Which foods easily attract mosquitoes, especially in the warmer weather? And what should you eat instead to keep them away?

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5 Foods that Attract Mosquitoes

1. Sweets

Cakes, cherry pies, and candies have an aroma that attracts all animals, which means that excessive and regular consumption can make you a desirable host for the bugs. So don’t eat sweets outdoors in summer months if you want to keep mosquitoes away. But if you must bring sugary treats to an outdoor gathering, cover them properly to protect yourself from possible mosquito bites.

2. Food Rich in Potassium

Your body frequently releases lactic acid produced from eating potassium-rich foods such as raisin, spinach, bananas, prunes, and potatoes. So try as much as possible to skip these foods if you’re going to spend a lot of time outdoors in the season when mosquito infestation are a commonplace.

3. Beer 

For those of us used to drinking beer in an outdoor cookout, a backyard barbeque without a glass can’t give you the coolest buzz. Yet even an amount as small as just 12 ounces can make you susceptible to mosquito bites. To be clear, there’s no link between the increase in ethanol in the bloodstream or increase in body temperature and mosquito attraction. And scientists don’t know exactly what attracts mosquitoes to beer yet. At the moment, all we know is that the mosquitoes are highly likely attracted to the taste of good brew.

4. Snacks Rich in Salt

It's just potassium-rich foods that increase the production of lactic acid in your body. Even snacks rich in high-sodium tend to have similar results. An afternoon spent outdoors can only be as good as much as you avoid foods such as roastedd peanuts, French fries, and crackers.

5. Alcohol