To-Dos: Your July Home Checklist

With backyard barbecues, clambakes and beach days, July is a time when many of us spend (or wish we were spending) more time outdoors than in. This month’s checklist offers ways to slash energy and water bills, keep your garden and patio in good shape, and protect your home while you’re away on a summer trip.

Make sure your home is safe while you’re away. Whether you’re going away for the weekend or the entire summer, it pays to take a few precautions before leaving your house empty. Having a house sitter or neighbor come by regularly is helpful not only to keep your home looking lived in, but also to check for anything that might go wrong (like a leak that could cause major water damage). Motion-sensing exterior lights, well-trimmed trees and bushes, and alarm systems can also help deter intruders.

10 Ways to Keep Your Home Safe While You’re Traveling


Refresh your guest bedroom. If you are expecting summer visitors, now is a good time to get the guest room in order. Clear away personal items and clutter, and make sure there are fresh sheets, extra blankets, window coverings and bath towels. Perks like a basket of travel-size toiletries, fun paperback books, local maps, bottles of water and chocolates are always welcome.

How to Welcome Weekend Guests


Declutter and host a yard sale. Lighten up this summer by spending a day clearing unwanted and unneeded items out of the house.

Host a yard sale and use the cash to treat yourself to a fun, summery experience (like a day at the fair or lobster rolls at a favorite clam shack) rather than more stuff to clutter up your home.

4 Obstacles to Decluttering — and How to Beat Them


Cut energy and water bills. A hot summer can mean huge water and energy bills, thanks to constant air conditioning and a thirsty garden. Do what you can to cut down:
Fix leaks in faucets and irrigation systems.Water your garden in the evening, when you will lose less water to evaporation.Consider collecting rainwater to use in the garden.
Set your thermostat higher during the day when you are out.
Keep window shades pulled down during the day to block sun.Use fans and open windows instead of air conditioning to cool your home on not-so-hot days.


Sort and toss old toiletries and medications. Streamline your bathroom cupboards and medicine cabinet by tossing out products that you no longer use or that are past their expiration date. Take stock of your first-aid kit and note any items that need replenishing.

If you do have old medications (whether or not they are expired), it is best to get rid of them. Ask your local pharmacy if it takes back medications, and check the label — some medications include specific instructions about how to dispose of leftovers.



Keep animals out of the garden. Protect your favorite flower beds, tender garden plants and berries from nibbling deer and pecking birds with bird cloth. Inexpensive and easy to use, bird cloth is made of a fine plastic mesh — simply drape it over any plants you wish to protect.


A natural deer-repellent spray can also help, but if deer or other creatures have been taking a major toll on your garden, consider putting up a fence to prevent trouble in the future.



Protect patio floors with planter feet. If you keep pots and planters on your patio, be sure to elevate them on plant stands or risers. Containers placed directly on flooring can stain it over time — or even cause rotting in wood.


Savor the outdoors. Swing on a tree swing, jump in a lake, grill it up in the backyard, roast marshmallows over the fire, savor an ice cream cone or scoop up ripe peaches at a farm stand — in summer the simplest pleasures are often the best.

Tell us: What’s on your to-do list for July?

More ways to get your house ready for July

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