Tidy up! Outdoor cleaning made easy

As summer moves along, all kinds of maintenance issues arise. Keeping the outside of your home clean can take some doing. TODAY contributor and do-it-yourself expert Lou Manfredini offers suggestions on how to take care of all those stains and outdoor grime.

As summer moves along, there are all kinds of maintenance issues that come up. Keeping the outside of your home clean from all the activity can be a chore. Here are some tips to take care of all those stains and outdoor grime.

Nothing makes a home look brighter than clean windows, and the trick of the trade on this one is mild dishwashing soap, warm water, a cotton cloth and a rubber squeegee. While window-cleaning products work well, if you want to clean the entire home both inside and out, this solution makes quick work and sparkling glass. The exterior siding of your home can take a beating, and using a spray cleaner like Krud Cutter or DampRid House Wash connected to your garden hose can cut the dirt. These systems apply a cleaner sort of like the one that’s used at an automatic car wash. You let the soap sit for a bit and then use your garden hose to blast it clean. A little scrubbing with a brush can help with those stubborn areas.

That greasy grill with all that color that you think is flavoring it is a breeding ground for bacteria. Cleaning your grill with the right products — like Grease Grizzly, Grease Magnet or Greased Lightning — works really well with the use of a Scotch-Brite pad (the lighter the color of the pad, the milder its scrubbing ability). These are also great to use with stains on your deck.

That oil stain on your concrete, asphalt or brick-paved driveway can be eliminated with a product called Pour-N-Restore. This gets poured on the stain and then allowed to dry overnight. The drying process allows the cleaner to pull the stain from the surface and then you broom it away. A wet spot will remain but after that dries, the color will return and the stain will be eliminated. All of these products are available at your local hardware store and these cleaners and your elbow grease can make your home sparkle.

If you have questions or comments, please visit Lou Manfredini at housesmartstv.com.

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