Is your home or business still having a hard time getting out of winter hibernation? We have a prep list for you to walk through!
The first day of spring was about a month ago, and yet the weather seems to have different plans. The rain, snow, and dense gray clouds are not helping your spring cleaning or other spring preparation—are they?
We feel you! In fact, that is why we gathered some bullets here to help you start getting your property ready for the future rain, wind, and sunshine. Yes—that’s right: sunshine. It might not seem like it now, but this year is going to be a HOT one. Many different weather professionals think that it is going to be hot like last year. If you Google “is 2022 going to be a hot summer?”, you will likely find some choice words like Mosaic did about the upcoming weather—“sizzling,” “dry,” “extreme,” “shattered records,” and “going to be remembered as a hot one nationwide.” Oh, goody. Let’s get to those tips to prepare for this!
What Are Some Springtime and Summertime Hazards?
1. Flooding and wildfires
The April showers that bring May flowers can unfortunately flood your home and/or business. So can the melting of ice and snow that we are still currently seeing here and there. And, once that weather gets dry and hot this summer, wildfires are highly likely to be a problem. Additionally, if rain does decide to come again after it is really dry, we could experience some bad floods because the soil will be too dry to absorb adequately, and the water has to go somewhere.
Essentially, it is easy to have a domino effect on your hands when flooding and wildfires are involved. These tips—plus insurance—can help you prepare before the fact:
- Consider installing foundation vents or a sump pump. If you have these items already, give them a maintenance check and make sure that they are working properly.
- Clean out gutters, walkways, porches, and flowerbeds. The less debris you have, the less food fire has to feed on. Also, the less likely you are to have a drainage problem. Plus, it looks nicer and helps avoid slips, trips, and falls.
- You might need a fresh coat of sealant for your doorways, walls, windows, foundation, etc.
- Keep in mind that flood damage and water damage are two different things. Flood damage is from widespread rain and flooded bodies of water—something that one of our carriers, PEMCO, calls environmental flooding. For example, flood damage would be if you lived near a river, and it overflowed and came crashing onto your property, leaking into your home and damaging your house and items. Water damage is when you have water coming from things like broken pipes and roof leaks.
- Our wildfire blog talks about what insurance can cover wildfire damage and ways that you can prevent a wildfire claim.
- We also have other flood tips! Read our blogs about how to prepare your property for floods, and how to drive during a flood and protect your property. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has a flood safety index for you to check out.
2. Ice and hail damage
Spring can be back-and-forth on cold and warm weather. Springtime also comes right after really cold weather conditions in the wintertime. The melting and re-freezing of rain/snow can create ice dams and do damage to rooftops. Also, damage from hailstorms can be costly—it can damage roof shingles, house windows, car windshields, and more.
Some top things to remember:
- If you can store vehicles undercover in a carport or garage, do so.
- Review your home, auto, and business coverage to see if hailstorm damage is covered under your policy.
3. Wind and rain damage
Springtime can be windy! Fallen trees are not uncommon, and they can do excessive damage to your home, business, and/or cars.
What can you do to protect your property from rain and wind damage?
- Remove dead/damaged/decaying trees ASAP.
- Inspect branches on a regular basis to see if any need trimmed.
- Keep an eye on old trees and consider removing them if they are dead, dying, becoming more crooked, and/or uprooting.
- Avoid clutter outside the house so that wind does not throw things around.
- Make sure that all of your outside decorations and furniture are secure. If the news says that it is going to be really rainy or windy, consider taking things out of the yard and putting them undercover in a shed or garage (especially if there is a major rainstorm, windstorm, or thunderstorm coming). Items hanging outside of windows, like hummingbird feeders and windchimes, can break windows, and heavy rain can ruin plants, signs, decorations, patio umbrellas, etc.
4. Snow salt can cause rusting on vehicles
Give your cars—and other metal objects that might have encountered road salt (like tractors, lawnmowers, and trailers)—a nice scrub down.
5. Cracked driveways and potholes
Cracked driveways can happen as the temperature goes from cold to warm. Similarly, potholes are more common in the springtime as the asphalt gets cold and warm and there are more people on the road. Potholes and cracks in driveways and on roads can damage tires and/or cause an accident. While driving, you can get stuck, pop a tire, mess up the alignment of your car, damage a wheel axel, etc. Driveway damages can spread to the crosswalk in front of your home and cause a walker to trip. Cracked driveways can also allow water to get in, which can lead to drainage issues, plant invasion, and bigger breaks.
- Consult a professional about driveway inspection and repairs. You might want to ask for a complete driveway replacement quote while you have them on the phone.
- If you see bad potholes on public roads and parking lots, report them to the Department of Transportation in your area.
6. Moss
If you are a homeowner, then you have probably asked yourself each of these questions at least once:
- Is moss bad for my roof?
- Will moss damage my roof?
- How do I prevent moss from growing on my roof?
- What makes moss grow?
- Am I able to remove moss from my roof?
- When should I replace my roof?
- When should I re-shingle my roof?
Some things you should know about moss:
- Moss likes climates that are cold, dark, and wet. That being said, moss loves spring and autumn since that is when it is relatively cold and pretty wet outside.
- As you probably know, moisture and wood do not mix. Moss traps in moisture, and as it spreads and pushes its way through, it can damage shingles. Overtime, loose/missing shingles and high moisture can make your roof rot and leak.
- Moss also has some weight to it as it grows and absorbs water. That adds weight to your roof, and if it is starting to decompose, you could have a big issue on your hands. Collapsed roofs are not fun.
Some insurance carriers will require that your roof is not more than so many years old before they will insure you. Some insurance companies will also require an inspection of your home before they will approve you. Inspections are not unheard of to be annually. It all depends on your carrier, where you are located, the age of your home, the age of your roof, prior claims, etc. (Ask a Mosaic agent for more specifics! We love questions!) - Removing moss before it spreads is a good idea. A roofing contractor can inspect your home and remove the moss professionally. It is also a good practice to have an inspector come to your home to make sure that it is doing good now and again—annually is common. Getting inspectors to look at your roof, attic, crawl space, plumbing, foundation, electrical, etc. at least once a year can help catch damages before they get bad, and help you keep an eye on possible future damages based on what the evaluator is seeing currently. (e.g., Your inspector might say something like: “Keep an eye on that minor crack on the living room wall. If it starts getting bigger—like 25% or so larger—over the next 6 months, you might want to call us again. It could mean that your foundation is not stable, and your house is starting to sink and shift. It could lead to major problems in a few years.”)
- Pressure washing your roof can damage your shingles, especially if you have composition shingles, according to Expert Home Report.
- When you need to re-shingle your roof depends on the type of roof you have, weather conditions in your area, roof damages currently sustained, your insurance carrier’s requirements, etc. RoofAdvisor.com has some general recommendations here, and Waypoint Property Inspection has some average lifespan information here. One of our insurance carriers, Allstate, recommends that you have your roof inspected at least once a year. Generally speaking, insurance carriers don’t like roofs that are older than 20 years old. But, as we all know, situations can vary. Talk to your Mosaic agent for some more information regarding your specific situation.
7. Mold and mildew
Like moss, mold and mildew LOVE moisture—after all, all three of them need moisture to exist in order to form and grow.
Common places that mold and mildew like to grow:
- Bathrooms
- Kitchens
- Utility rooms
- Roofs
- Garages
- Sheds
- Basements
- Crawlspaces
- Cars—especially ones that do not get driven very much
How can you prevent mold and mildew?
- Check for roof damage after storms when it is safe to do so—windstorms, rainstorms, lightening storms, etc. Missing or loose shingles can let water in.
- Check for leaks on a regular basis. A great time to do this is when you are doing your weekly deep cleaning—add leak checks to your list for catching up on the dishes, laundry, vacuuming, and the like. Check toilets, kitchen/bathroom sinks, showers, your attic, water heaters, your dishwasher, the fridge, your garage, and the laundry room. Taking a look at your outside hoses is not a bad idea either. If you find a leak, dry up the water, find a means to help contain it (shut off water, put a bucket down, etc.), and have it repaired ASAP.
- It is recommended to consider replacing your water heater if it is 10+ years old.
- It is advised to replace laundry machine hoses every 5 years—they tend to cost $5-10, which is WAY less than the thousands of dollars of damages that they are commonly known to do if they end up leaking all over the place.
- Trapping moisture in your home is not good. On a nice day, open the windows for a few hours. Fans can also help circulate the air. You can also look into using some moisture absorbers for spare bedrooms, attics, garages, sitting cars, and the like.
- For some more details, check out PEMCO Insurance’s water damage and mold prevention tips, the CDC’s mold and mildew page, and Treehugger.com.
What can you use to clean mold and mildew?
According to Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical, you can use…
- Vinegar
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Tea tree oil
- Bleach
* Please keep in mind that some things are not pet friendly, and mixing chemicals can be very dangerous. *
8. Driving in the sun can cause car accidents
If you cannot see while you are driving, that is a problem, obviously. Also, if you cannot see, there is a high chance that others around you cannot see.
Below are some tips that you can take to help you drive safer while the sunshine is out:
- Have a pair of glasses dedicated to your car. Having a pair that never leaves your car will guarantee that you will have them when you need them. Polarized sunglasses are recommended by many, including AAA.
- To help others see you better, AAA advises turning on your daytime headlights.
- Giving yourself some more following room with the car(s) in front of you is also recommended by AAA and other professionals. The general rule of thumb with many driver defense schools is “1 car length for every 10 MPH.” Given that increment, it would be 1 car length at 0-10 MPH, and 6 car lengths at 60 MPH. So, if it is sunny, you might want to give yourself some extra space than that general rule.
- Make sure that your windshield is clean. Smudges are not going to help matters!
- A windshield visor will also come in handy. You might have to move it as the sun changes position while you are driving, so having one that is greased and ready to move easily is ideal. If you have a passenger, ask them to move theirs in a way that helps you as the sun moves while you drive.
- Remove visibility distractions and blockers. For example, consider removing your review mirror decoration. Also, it is probably best to not have anything on your dashboard—items can not only block visibility, but also distract you if they slide while you are driving (like during turns). The sun is already making it harder to see, so don’t let anything else make it more difficult if you can help it!
You Might Also Want to Know…
1. Here are some of our other tip blogs that can also be beneficial for you this time of the year:
- What Are Some Insurance Policies Your Should Review for Spring and Summer?
- How Do I Weatherproof My Home?
2. We write property insurance for many homes and businesses. Being an insurance broker, we have access to multiple insurance carriers, can write insurance in multiple states, and can get you coverage at competitive prices. Below are some of the carriers who we write a lot of property insurance with.
Some Spring Gardening Tips:
Is your personal garden or commercial farm ready for spring crop? We gathered a handful of handy tips for you now that planting season is here!
Tips for your personal garden:
- Deep clean all garden beds—weeds, debris, etc.
- Determine what you want to plant this year and map it out accordingly. (Do some research on what plants invade others, good growing conditions, etc.)
- Look up best watering practices for each plant and create a watering schedule.
Tips for your commercial garden:
- Document if any plants were damaged by the cold.
- See if any fences, trellises, walls, etc. need to be fixed. Also, determine if any new ones need to be installed.
- Take inventory on tools and the shape that they are in.
- Do maintenance on machinery and equipment (i.e., tractors, heating lamps, greenhouses, sprinklers, fertilizer spreaders, windmills, etc.).
A handful of gardening tips from the professionals:
- Proven Winners North America LLC has 10 spring gardening tips that focus on getting your soil ready and pruning some plants that have been damaged by winter ice.
- Read all about how you can prepare your flower beds from Better Homes & Gardens.
- Martha Stewart not only talks about how to inspect your yard, but also about how to get your tools ready after they sat over the summer, how to fertilize with compost, and more.
Some Spring Cleaning Lists:
They might be a little cliché, but spring-cleaning lists really do come in handy now and again! Also, after a long day’s work, you can triumphantly look at all the things you scratched off! And, if you have a hard time getting things done because of procrastination, you can add due dates to your list—give 1-2 things to each day of the week and see if that helps you feel less intimidated by the tasks. Keeping Life Sane even has a 30-day home cleaning challenge that is printable. Their list gives you a new task every day, and some might even be items that you might not have thought about.
Deep cleaning is not just a fresh start that can make you feel good—it can help you avoid claims as well! The below items are definitely good ones to consider adding to your cleaning list!
- Give your roof some TLC. Walk around your home and yard with a notebook and pen. Take note of things that are looking tattered that you should replace soon, as well as things that have damages that you should replaced or repair ASAP. For example, if you have moss, you know from reading above that getting rid of moss is a good idea. The water damage that moss creates can cause harmful mold inside your home and lead to destructive pesty rodents getting inside. So, if you see moss, write down something like: “remove moss on roof”!
- Heaters, filters, and traps need some attention too. Dust inside heaters can cause fires, so can clogged chimneys and dryer vents. Similarly, when you have a clogged AC filter, it can spring a leak and cause water damage. Clogged plumbing vents, dishwasher vents, garbage disposals, etc. can also lead to flooding and other water damage.
- Clear all walkways. (Outside—debris, vines, etc.; inside—clutter, cable wires, toys, slippery rugs, pathway/entryway obstructions, etc.)
- Fill in dirt holes. (This is especially important to keep on top of if you have a dog!)
- Inspect trees—are any dying, uprooting, and/or falling? Do any branches need to be cut/trimmed?
- Are your inside/outside stairs and porches sturdy, clear, and non-slippery?
- Make sure there is no loose carpet anywhere in your home.
- Inspect soffits and other cubby like places. Soffits are the overhangs under your gutter. They are a place where bees love to create nests, particularly wasps. Birds also like to build nests there, and they are a place for cobwebs and dust to gather.
- Don’t forget to clean those smaller places and items! Some things that people forget to clean are bedding, under beds, under furniture, heaters, fans, windows, shelves, trash cans, curtains, shower mats, sink drains, remote controls, kitchen sponges, ice makers, food and spice pantries, and decorations like picture frames. Also, don’t forget to clean inside and under appliances—microwaves, fridges, laundry machines, and things that you keep on your counter (blenders, coffee makers, air fryers, toasters, mixers, etc.).
- Before the hot weather really kicks in and you stop using your fireplace, give it a really nice scrub down!
- Declutter—it can help avoid injuries and claims, and it can also make you feel refreshed. After all, do you really need 15 pairs of flipflops, or those 10 pairs of old jeans that you have been meaning to fit into again for more than a decade? How about all that stuff you threw into the garage, shed, or attic so that you didn’t have to think about it? You are not the only one that likes the mantra “Someday” or “Out of sight, out of mind.” Yahoo has some tips on how to get rid of junk at home, and if you need more of a push, companies like Junkluggers exist!
- Consider leak detection sensors. For example, one of our carriers, Nationwide, has a program for internet sensors that will alert homeowners of water leaks, open windows, open doors, temperature changes, and more, via a smartphone app. Learn more about the service here, and if you are interested in getting an insurance quote with Nationwide or another one of our various carriers, give Mosaic a call!
- How to get rid of house pests: A lot of pests avoid certain smells and plants. For example, spiders and ants do not like peppermint, cinnamon, tea tree, or vinegar. A peppermint plant inside your kitchen window can help keep ants away even when food is tempting them. Spraying around doors and windows with vinegar can help keep them at bay as well. (You just might need to respray once a week or so.) (Keep in mind that cats and dogs can get sick if they are exposed to things like peppermint, so use with care—keep items harmful to pets out of reach or avoid using them altogether.) Another thing that helps deter ants (and rodents) is to not keep food anywhere except the kitchen or pantry. Chips, crackers, cookies, and other snack-like items in the living room and bedroom can attract them and make your house look like a smorgasbord. As always, be very mindful when using things like poisons and traps if you have pets or children. For more ideas, here are some natural and safer ways to get rid of ants, and here are some for other pests.
Our teammate, Vicki, says that when she spring-cleans or prepares her house for guests, these are some additional things that she makes sure to do:
- Shovel snow on walkways (if you have some lingering still).
- Take down hanging branches from trees, especially after a windstorm.
- You will want to ensure that your handrails on porch steps are tight with no loose screws.
- Do not leave candles or scent burners on for too long or unattended.
- Put animals away that get too excited or anxious when around guests that they do not know or small children.
- Close the doors to a fireplace to keep small children from getting anything in their mouths or on their hands.
- If you have exotic pets, put them in an area that is not accessible to visitors that are unfamiliar with your particular pet (i.e., snakes, ferrets, lizards, hedgehogs – anything that’s not a standard domestic).
- Be sure to be aware of any floors that could be slippery when wet.
Take a look at our other blogs for more tips:
- What Should Be On My Spring-Cleaning List?
- Do You Need To Insure Your Pool or Trampoline?
- Tips On How To Keep Up On Home Maintenance (infographic included!)
As you go through your spring-cleaning list, the scribbles will pile up—and so will your odds of not having a claim!
Scribbling off items can be so rewarding and make you feel good! You can save the picture of Mosaic’s condensed cleaning list below on your phone and scribble away in a paint editor as you complete your items! Or print it off and really have at it with a red pen. You can also save a PDF of it here and use the interactive checkboxes on your phone, tablet, or computer.
If you liked our tips here, check out our Pinterest! It is always growing with tips for different things in life—accident checklists, house tips, driving tips, recipes, video playlists, memes—you name it!
Information provided by: Mosaic, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Farmer’s Almanac, USA Today, AAA, Expert Home Report, Insurance Journal, PEMCO Insurance, Allstate Insurance, Judd Builders, Keeping Life Sane, Fox Business, Junkluggers, Martha Stewart, Better Homes & Gardens, TrustDALE, Better You Magazine, Healthline, Elevate Pest Control, and Dipple Plumbing and Electrical.
