Life Hack: Three home and garden jobs to tackle now 

From weeding to patio cleaning, here are the jobs to tackle now

Your patio might be looking a little grimy post-winter.

The start of May is traditionally the start of summer in Ireland, and while the recent sunshine might have vanished over the bank holiday weekend, the sunny spells will have sparked many of us to start preparing for the new season.

Here are three tasks to take on now so you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour over a, hopefully, sunny summer.

Easy weeding

If you’ve been sitting outside lately, then you may have noticed a few weeds poking through patio slabs and other tricky corners. While you might think a quick tug will sort the issue, chances are you’re leaving some or all of the root behind, and it will simply regrow. 

When pulling a weed, do so after rain (a silver lining of last week’s rain warning) so the roots come out easier. You can use a weeding knife for awkward angles, or even a flat-head screwdriver.

For more stubborn roots, I always turn to my kettle. By pouring boiling water directly onto the base of the weed, it will kill the roots and therefore the plant. Wait a few days to see the plant wilt and discolour, and pull the dead weed from the ground.

You can also pour boiling water where you have been weeding to kill any residual weed roots you may have missed. Another option, if you’re worried about the safety of children or pets who may be too close to hot water while this is being done, is to use a mixture of vinegar and washing-up liquid and pour this instead.

I typically use these methods on patio or concreted areas and avoid doing so around flowerbeds. As it can kill weed roots so easily, it can also damage or kill plants and flowers. I also leave weeds, such as dandelions, grow in grassy areas for bees and other pollinators.

Patio scrubbing

As we’re on the topic of tidying up a patio, yours might be looking a little grimy post-winter. My own patio tends to get a bit green by spring, but there is a simple way to revive it. I like to tackle this job on a dry day, so it’s easier to see where I need to focus my cleaning efforts. 

Denise O'Donoghue: 'Your gutters are another part of the home that is often overlooked, but it is essential to keep them clean to avoid a heap of issues developing, including damp and mould in your home.'

You might be tempted to reach for a pressure washer, but this might not be the right method for the surface you’re dealing with. It can remove the protective grout from between patio slabs, which would need replacing, and it can also make patio tiles more porous, which can make them dirtier, and you will end up cleaning them more frequently. There are two cleaning alternatives I recommend.

Bleach can damage some patio stones, so vinegar is your friend here. Dilute some white vinegar in water and spray this on the surface and let it sit before rinsing away with water in a bucket or hose.

You may need to repeat for stubborn areas. If you’re concerned about discolouring a porous surface, you should patch test first in a discreet area.

Alternatively, a good scrub will lift this. Use a stiff brush with a mixture of soap and hot water and scrub the surface to lift the green residue. It is a bit time-consuming and involves some elbow grease, but it is worth the effort. Once it has dried, it will be easier to see if you missed any patches, so you can treat any remaining green marks with the same method.

Clear gutters

Your gutters are another part of the home that is often overlooked, but it is essential to keep them clean to avoid a heap of issues developing, including damp and mould in your home.

When using a ladder, make sure you have someone with you to hold it steady — we don’t want a visit to A&E. Start near the downpipe and with a gloved hand, scoop out leaves, moss, debris, etc from the gutter. Using a bucket as a ‘bin’ for this can keep clean-up to a minimum.

Flush it with some water, ideally from a hose, but a bottle will also work. This helps to check the flow is working as it should and nothing is backing up. If the water backs up, that usually means your downpipe is blocked. This can be cleared by tapping the downpipes gently to loosen debris or by using a hose to push through a blockage.