Seven handy hints to get your home Summer ready

IT'S the time of the year we all look forward to, the mercury is rising, gardens are exploding with floral colour and fragrance, barbecues are being fired up all over the Gold Coast and the dreaded humidity is already starting to bite.

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IT'S the time of the year we all look forward to, the mercury is rising, gardens are exploding with floral colour and fragrance, barbecues are being fired up all over the Gold Coast and the dreaded humidity is already starting to bite.

Summer is around the corner and there are some handy tips you can use to ensure your home is ready for our intense Australian climate.

1. Clear your backyard

Living in south-east Queensland, we share our beautiful environment with many species of snakes – some deadly.  King browns, cobras and red belly black snakes are all around and they love to come out and make a home in our garden waste when the temperatures start to rise.

Make sure you wear gloves and appropriate footwear when heading into the garden, clear all overgrown corners of the garden and dispose of all the waste.

2. Clean your house

It’s not called Spring Cleaning for nothing. Use the warmer weather as an inspiration to de-clutter and be ready for the party season with a clean home. Be vigilant! Empty cupboards of old clothes and bag them up to give to a charity. A good rule of thumb is, if you haven’t worn the item in the previous season – get rid of it.

Repeat the process with your linen and grocery cupboards and you’ll be surprised at how satisfying it can be.

3. Make friends with a high pressure water cleaner

If you haven’t used a Gerni, you haven’t experienced true cleaning joy. The act of blasting your driveway, dirty pavers and the outside of your house is as relaxing as it is cathartic. And after a few hours of work, your biceps will get a good workout as well.

If you don’t have a high pressure water cleaner, you can always hire one from a company like Kennards.

4. Upgrade your air-conditioning system

Energy prices have soared over the last decade and according to the Australian Government's Your Home website, heating and cooling costs amount to around 40 percent of the household budget. The hottest thing in cooling on the Gold Coast is MyAir, offering homeowners the opportunity to install a stylish control pad which controls the temperature and acts as a smart home hub while also saving money on power bills.

Designed and manufactured in Australia by Advantage Air, the MyAir controller is housed in a tablet device and can be mounted in the kitchen, the living room, or wherever the homeowner will get the most use out of it.

One of the many brilliant functions of the MyAir controller is that it divides the house into up to 10 zones, while a standard air conditioning controller system will only have around four. It’s obvious that cooling four zones instead of 10 will result in much lower power bills.

With a long hot summer predicted for southeast Queensland, it's important to ensure you're using the most energy efficient technology and MyAir ticks that box. Local company Cold Front are licensed to sell and install this market-leading product.

5. Clear your gutters

It’s a dirty job, but it’s incredibly important as a build-up of leaves and debris can cause a fire hazard during our hot Australian summer.

Safety is paramount, so ensure your ladder is stable and the steps are strong. Prepare the ladder and the tools needed, such as a bucket, gloves and other cleaning equipment. Ladder caddies or helpers can hold tools, freeing up hands to make it more efficient.

With one gloved hand, clear the debris and empty into the bucket making sure your free hand is holding firmly onto the gutter. Give it a good sweep with the brush and don’t worry if you can’t get rid of all the dirt and dust – our Queensland storms will clean them out.

6. Update your entertaining area

Summer and the festive season are prime times for entertaining. Give your outdoor area a facelift by buying some bright and cheerful outdoor cushions.  There are plenty of stores around which stock amazingly bright prints, making it easier to do an economical renovation to your outdoor area. Take a trip to the nursery and buy some equally colourful outdoor pots or new plants to complement.

7. Stock up on insect repellant

Some of us can manage to avoid being dinner for the mosquitoes and midges which live near our huge collection of waterways here on the Gold Coast. For those who aren’t so lucky (or have tastier blood), a good insect repellant is a must.

Keep sprays and roll-ons on hand for guests and purchase mosquito coils and deterrent candles in your backyard entertaining areas. Outdoor torches add a brilliant styling touch, and are practical in keeping the pests away. Their smell is amazing and help add to the balmy, holiday ambience of summer on the Gold Coast.