With September upon us, it means that Spring is now here. The days start getting longer, the sun slowly gets warmer, the flowers will start blooming… It’s time to clear the dust of winter and get your property ready with a thorough spring cleaning!
How did Spring Cleaning begin?
Many cultures have traditions of spring cleaning that reach far back into the distant past. In Iran, the new year, Nowruz, arrives on March 21 and is a time of regeneration, renewal and optimism for Iranians, which includes rituals involving burning, planting, and deep cleaning their houses. In a ritual called called khane tekani (“shaking the house”), the Iranians scour and clean every bit of their homes. Only once the house is shaken can Nowruz – and spring – arrive. In Jewish custom, Passover (Pesach) is a time of house cleaning as well. For Passover, the Jews adopted unleavened bread (matzah) as a symbolic reminder of overcoming Egyptian subjugation they overcame. In fact, keeping leavened bread (chametz) during Passover is considered such an affront in Jewish culture that even a single crumb is deemed offensive. To prevent accidentally insulting God, Jews scour their homes before Passover to ensure they didn’t miss any bread. Since Passover comes around April, many people consider this custom as the origin of spring cleaning.Preparing Your Commercial Property With Spring Cleaning
Many of us know how to do a spring clean for our homes, but getting your commercial building ready for the warmer months can often be a different story. What’s involved with commercial spring cleaning? Assess Your Property & Identify Safety Concerns Review the conditions of any walkways, entrances, wheelchair ramps, and outdoor lighting to eliminate potential issues of safety. Cracks on the sidewalk and potholes can often become dangerous as well as a liability. Any fallen tree limbs and leaves caused by winter winds can also become a liability, as well as keep your property from looking its best. No matter what, safety is of utmost importance . Put Some Life into Your Landscape As the weather warms, it becomes the perfect time to prune perennials and plant new flowers and shrubs to make your property exude the same charisma and professionalism as your business itself.- Check existing trees, shrubs and flowerbeds for winter burn and damages. Plan to repair any damage made to any turf in high-traffic areas or areas.
- Checking for diseased plants should also be a priority. Diseased plants can spread their disease to other plants and easily destroy a large area very quickly.
- Make sure to apply a fresh layer of mulch because winter can cause old mulch to break down. Adding new mulch will give your garden beds a much cleaner look, preventing weed growth and accentuating the blooming flowers and plants.
Winter time can cause damage to water systems, increasing the chances of cracked or burst pipes, rust, and more. A poorly maintained drainage or irrigation system can greatly compromise the safety and integrity of your property, from tripping hazards and flooding to underwatering and/or hardscape damage. Stagnant water can also present a severe risk to virus and disease control as it provides ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes carrying vector-borne diseases.
Make a routine irrigation inspection part of your spring cleaning routine to avoid accumulating issues and risks with your drainage or irrigation systems overtime.
