12 Cheap & Easy Summer Projects That Can Make Your Home Feel New

Home maintenance is like housework, flossing and exercise: Work it into your routine, because the penalties are worse than the jobs themselves.

For example, cleaning the gutters costs nothing if you do it yourself, and roughly $100 to $200 if you hire a service.

Ignore the job, though, and you may face expensive repairs thanks to:

Leaky or overflowing gutters that rot fascia boards (the roof edge under the gutters), soffits and rafters.
Water that drips onto window trim, rotting it.
Leaky gutters that let water pool at the foundation, causing basement leaks, mold and even foundation damage.

Fortunately, summer gives you a chance to repair damage, protect your home and keep its face to the world — and to you — looking bright.

Following are 10 cheap and easy home projects that make your home feel new — and potentially save you a bundle in repair costs down the road.

1. Paint

Fresh paint doesn’t just make your home look great — it’s also a protective skin against UV light and moisture.

Earth911 reveals where to get free paint: Many household hazardous waste (HHW) facilities around the country have product exchange rooms, sometimes called swap rooms or swap shops. These rooms offer safe, unopened HHW items for public consumption, keeping them out of the landfill and letting you save some money.Call your city to ask about your local HHW facility.

Other sources for cheap paint:

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores (find one near you) sell “gently used” tools and supplies for home projects at low cost.
See EcoBusinessLinks’ national directory of recycled and surplus building materials and suppliers.
Search online for a city’s name and “salvaged building supplies” or “recycled building materials.”

2. Mulch

Laying a 1- to 3-inch layer of mulch on garden beds will quickly spruce up the area around your home’s exterior.

Mulch has other benefits. For example, it spares you from having to do a lot of weeding. Mulch smothers weeds by depriving them of oxygen and light, and it holds moisture in the soil, saving water and giving plants a consistent source of moisture.

Free or cheap sources of mulch include:

Shredded wood or bark: Electric utility companies and tree services may have cheap or free wood chips or shredded bark. Also, some cities collect leaves and branches, chipping them for use by local residents.
Grass clippings: Let them cool down before mulching.
Raked leaves: Shred first with a shredder or lawn mower so air and moisture can reach the soil beneath.
Cardboard: Ask recycling centers and appliance stores for free cardboard. Wet it down, cut it to fit and place it around plants, covering with soil or bark mulch. This is best in wet climates where cardboard breaks down into the soil.

3. Seal Wood Decks

If your deck is looking a little tired, it might be time to seal it, and stain or paint it. Staining or painting your wood deck will make it look like a million bucks — and you’ll only spend a tiny fraction of that amount.

The cheap way to seal a deck is do it yourself. You’ll spend a couple hundred dollars on supplies and rented tools. Do it annually or every two to three years, depending on where you live. Ignore the job long enough and you’ll need to replace the deck, at a cost of thousands of dollars.

4. Clean Gutters

You may be able to do this job yourself, and at little or no cost. Rent or borrow a solid ladder tall enough to do the job safely. Enlist someone to stand on the ground and steady it while you work.

Clean gutters once or twice a year, depending on how quickly they fill with leaves and debris. While you’re cleaning, check for leaks and breaks.

5. Shine Windows

Cleaning your windows is one of the cheapest ways to give your home a new sparkle. Here are three cheap, no-streak approaches:

Apply a vinegar-water solution to the glass and wipe it off with crumpled newspaper.
Use TSP (trisodium phosphate), an inexpensive powder degreaser found at hardware stores, mixed in water and squeegee it off for a streak-free finish. Make sure you read the instructions for proper handling.
Many people swear by a few drops of dish soap in a bucket of warm water.

6. Caulk

Caulking around windows helps cut heating and cooling bills by keeping indoor air in and drafts out. It’s an important preventative, too: Leaky window frames rot and allow water to seep into walls, causing rot and mildew.

A $5 tube of caulk goes a long way in sealing edges and small gaps. Spray foam is better for larger openings.

7. Give the Furnace TLC

Give your furnace a little attention on its summer vacation. Remove the furnace filter. If you don’t know where it is, check the instruction manual and follow directions on how to remove and replace it.

Hold the filter up to the light. If it’s dark and dirty, it’s time for a new one. Use a vacuum cleaner on openings throughout the system, including registers, ducts and vents.

8. Check for Irrigation Leaks

Your irrigation system and hoses can freeze and thaw in cold winters. In the summer, water pressure and UV light do damage. Leaks waste water and cost you money.

Turn on the water and inspect hoses, timers and irrigation systems for leaks, pooling water, breaks and clogged sprinkler heads. Replace hose gaskets and make repairs, or call a service company.

9. Banish Pests

Warm weather gives you a chance to circle the outside of your home and remove anything that could shelter wood-boring insects, rats, mice or spiders.

Remove yard waste, tools, ladders, toys and stacked lumber. Orkin recommends storing firewood at least 5 feet from your home’s foundation and on a rack off the ground.

Trim bushes and relocate plants so that none touches the home’s siding or foundation. Clear vegetation and debris under decks and steps.

Other tips include:

Pick up fruit as soon as it drops from trees and bushes.
Give garbage cans tight-fitting lids.
Drain pools, puddles and ponds and change bird bath water frequently to discourage mosquitoes.

10. Primp the Lawn

A nice lawn can make your home the envy of the neighborhood. If you want a great-looking lawn, stop scalping it. Instead, mow higher and more often.

Set mower blades at least 3 inches high. That will encourage grass to fill in bare spots and push weeds out. Grass roots will grow deeper so the lawn looks better and needs less water. Don’t collect grass clippings; let them drop on the lawn to nourish it.

11. Inspect and Clean the Dryer Vent

Do this job for fire prevention. Although you probably clean your dryer’s lint trap after each load, lint still builds up inside the machine and duct.

Remove the lint filter and use a long-handled vent brush (ask for one at hardware stores) to clean as much of the cavity as you can. Carefully clean behind the machine without disturbing the vent attachment or gas line.

Use the vent brush or a rag to reach into the vent from outside and remove all the lint you can reach.

When finished, turn on the dryer and go outside to look at the vent. Is exhaust air coming out? If not, look for blockage in the vent or exhaust duct. If necessary, disconnect the duct from the dryer to thoroughly clean the exhaust path.

12. Insulate Water Pipes

Uninsulated pipes carrying hot water through a cold basement or crawl space waste heat, costing you money. It’s easy to insulate these pipes with pre-slit, hollow-core, flexible “sleeves” made of polyethylene or neoprene foam. Find them at hardware stores. Before shopping, learn your pipes’ diameter to get the right fit.

As you start to plan your home improvements, it’s helpful to set a budget so you don’t overspend. If you can avoid going into debt to make necessary repairs and wanted improvements, all the better. Carrying a high amount of debt on your credit cards — relative to your credit limit — can have a negative impact on your credit scores. However, if you do access credit for your home improvement projects, be sure to come up with a plan to pay it off (and follow it). You can see how your debt is affecting your credit by getting your free credit report summary on Credit.com, and you can calculate how long it will take to pay off your credit card debt using this free calculator.