Spring cleaning doesn’t just apply to your closets and the inside of your home. As the temperatures are changing to warm spring breezes, it is time to think about the yard. Taking care of your yard not only benefits you, but it also benefits the neighborhood.

So first start with your downspouts by making sure they are clear of debris. This also involves making sure your gutters are clear so that when it rains the debris in the gutters don’t get caught in the downspouts. It is best to have a professional take care of this because cleaning gutters can be a dangerous job and so can cleaning your downspouts. Making sure they are clean means water will drain away from the foundation of the home like it should.

You also want to rake debris in the yard and remove dead branches so they do not find their way into the street drains. Debris clogs street drains and causes street flooding.

The third thing is to add mulch to your landscaped areas so that it looks nice and so the mulch can do its job in maintaining the plans and controlling the moisture in those particular areas.

If you use rain barrels to catch rain from your downspouts, it is time to reconnect them. If you don’t use rain barrels, they are good to use because you can use the water to water your shrubs, trees, and flower beds.

Lastly, reseed the bare patches in your yard. Your yard has a lot to do with how water drains from it. Reseeding can keep water from gathering in the bare areas, creating puddles.

Do these things in addition to tilling your garden and preparing your soil, preparing containers for new plans, and maintaining your mower and your yard will look great.