"Yes it is hard to get motivated to do this before you visit your cabin as you visit it for a vacation" yes you have most likely just finished spring cleaning your house ", and is more be out playing in the sun and enjoying spring after a cold winter. None the less we have to do our cabins as well.
Fire Place
I like to start out with the fire place first though this worst job on the list! I like to get it out of the way ASAP.
Do not sweep or vacuum until all the embers have been extinguished for at least 12 hours.
(Any cleaning your fireplace.) When you start your fireplace , you can sprinkle some damp coffee grounds over the ashes to keep down the dust.
The Fire Screen
Most fire screens are black painted metal, but if your screen is brass-plate, clean it as you you other brass objects.
Add 1 teaspoon ammonia. Add 1 teaspoon ammonia. Dip a cloth into the solution, wipe down both sides of the screen. If you have purchased one of our fire place screens to clean these simply mix 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 gallon warm water. cloth dipped in clear, warm water.
Glass Enclosures
Clean the glass facing the fire after every other fire to remove the residue of soot.
For baked - on soot, scrape the glass very with a glass scraper to avoid scratching the surface.
Add 1 tablespoon clear ammonia. Either spray this solution on the glass or wipe it on with a cloth dipped in the solution. Rinse with clear, warm water , and dry with a clean cloth.
Then you have burned several fires over the season and it is now time to clean the chimney. I first like to inspect I also find the loose or cracks in any rock. I also use the hose and spray the chimney brick down. We seal our chimney so I like If you do not seal your chimney then I recommend it as it is a great way to help protect your brick or rock work on the outside. Of course if your water is no longer beading on the chimney! Well it is time to break out the seal and start painting.
If this is what you are doing in a professional chimney sweep or do it yourself. I prefer the calling of a chimney sweep as they do this type of work all day every day they know what they are doing and things to look for. your cabin is located in the South Lake Tahoe area you can click this link to see a few chimney cleaners in this area.
Next we tackle We have learned to fire the whole cabin thoroughly. We use lemon oil on all log walls and we place a pan of water on the wood stove to put some moisture back into the dry air. the windows.
Okay, we are sure everyone knows how to wind up do not forget the window runners, check for any leaking that may occur during the winter and clean all the window treatments. I like to use a mixture of warm water and vinegar and I use newspaper to clean (something about the ink really puts a great shine on the windows).
Nothing is worse then having water damage, you must have peach under water to and running, take a peek under either to make sure you have no pipes that are leaking or have burst. to clean up! So this is a major must do. Let's have a long time in spring plumbers in the Tahoe area is very busy with broken pipes! So be sure to call right away if you notice something wrong. Plumbing and Heating to do some repair work on the South Shore, we have been very happy with the work done by them.
The US Forest Service in Lake Tahoe has been a very early clean up of discharged and dead debris due to a good chance of a early fire Also this is a great time to check your all. you are under your control. fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, and of course a great time to make sure all those squirrels have not dugs to sleep the winter away the cabin. I also use this time to Tune up or sharpen the chain saw and work on the lawn mower If you have grass. Also it is a great time to make sure you are bear proofed for the summer (view more information about bears in Lake Tahoe over at the League To Save Bears).
And you are now ready to enjoy a beautiful summer ahead. Be sure (like at home) you check all windows, gutters (clean them as well), weather stripping, doors, locks, and of course.
