Gear up your home for summer weather

Consider your outdoor areas: South African summers are mostly spent outdoors so now would be a good time to pay attention to the cleaning and enhancing of outdoor living spaces like stoeps, braai areas and swimming pools. Consider buying or revamping outside furniture, clean the pool and ensure that all outside areas will provide enough shade to your family and guests on sunny days.
Service air conditioners and clean all ceiling fans: You probably didn’t use much artificial cooling during the winter months so now would be a good time to check whether everything is still working and in a good, clean condition before you really need it.
Spruce up your garden: Summer is all about colour, flowers and soft green grass. Now is a good time to consider any landscaping options and to plant the flowers and/or plants you would like to adorn your garden with in the summer months.
Remove all things winter: Now is a good time to pack away heavy rugs and dark curtains. Also clean the fire place and remove heaters. Arrange your home in such a way for it to allow natural light and a soft breeze wherever possible.
Consider moving your sleeping space: While some rooms in your home are probably warmer and more suitable for cold winter nights, the same is true for cooler rooms. If you don’t have air conditioners and/or ceiling fans to cool your bedroom you could move to a different room in your home for the summer months.