12 Things to Do When Daylight Savings Time Begins

Do a Kitchen Clean Up

Let the spring cleaning commence! Use the time change to kick-start your cleaning after a winter’s worth of cooking and hanging out in the kitchen. Toss out any expired items from your refrigerator and pantry, reorganize your cabinets and deep clean your oven, stove, etc. Here are 11 essentials for your spring maintenance checklist.

Swap Out Winter Gear for Spring Gear

Whether it’s your closet, bedding or even the decor in your home, celebrate the upcoming change of season by preparing your home for the warmer months ahead. Brighten up your space by swapping out dark and heavy throws on the couch for lighter ones. Swap your bedding from flannel sheets to cotton. Stow away the winter boots by the door and take out the slip-ons. Finally, tackle your closet! Put away chunky sweaters and long underwear and take out the lighter, spring-worthy garb. Check out these 14 spring cleaning myths to avoid.

Reverse Your Fans

Whether you have a remote control, wall control or you need a step ladder to manually switch the fan, be sure your ceiling fans spin counter-clockwise after the switch to Daylight Savings Time. It will keep things cooler! Here’s how to balance a ceiling fan.

Change the Batteries in Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Safety experts recommend changing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors twice a year. It’s likely that the batteries you switch out aren’t ready to be tossed yet, however! While they’re not fully charged, you can still use them in things like your children’s toys and various electronic devices. Here’s when to replace a carbon monoxide detector.

Did you know you are supposed to do this with batteries before throwing them away?

Do Some Patio Prep

Soon enough, you’ll be springing outside to enjoy the warmer weather on your patio. Daylight Savings Time is the perfect opportunity to clean the furniture, change the lightbulbs, sweep and even add some container plants to spruce things up after a long, cold and dreary winter. These are the best herbs to grow on a patio.

Clean Drapes and Curtains

Take a vacuum to your drapes and curtains to suck out settled dust from winter. If the curtains are washable, that’s even better. With the warmer months coming, you can also use Daylight Savings Time to swap out heavier window coverings with lighter ones. Ready for new curtains? Check out our ultimate buyer’s guide.

Change Your Filters

When Daylight Savings starts, be sure to check the filters on your furnace, air conditioner(s), vacuum cleaner, dishwasher and humidifier. Dirty filters make mechanicals run less efficiently and cause dust. Here’s how to change a furnace filter.

Open Your Crawl Space Vents

While you want your crawl space vents closed in the winter to reduce the chance that any pipes in there might freeze, you should open them back up in spring to allow outside air to circulate and prevent the moisture buildup that causes mildew and rot. Here’s the secret to preventing mold in your crawl space.

Freshen Up Your Garden

Pretty soon it will be time to plant your favorite flowers! In preparation, freshen up your garden to get it healthy and ready for new plantings. You should pull weeds, prune dead branches and loosen up the soil. Take a look at these 12 ways to prepare for your spring garden while it’s still cold.

Clean Out the Dryer Filter and Duct

At the start of Daylight Savings Time, clean out your clothes dryer filter and vent duct. Lint buildup is a major cause of household fires, so be sure (along with frequent lint trap cleaning), to clean the vent duct thoroughly. Here’s how to get all of the lint out of your dryer.

Here’s how to choose and install a dryer vent duct.

Here’s how to clean a dryer vent duct.

Clean the Grill

Prepare for spring barbecuing by giving your grill some attention. Use dish soap to cut through leftover dirt and grease that’s been sitting on your grill all winter long. And, here’s how to give that grill a spring tune-up.

No brush? No problem. Here’s how to clean your grill grate with a vegetable.

Prepare Your Car for Spring and Summer Trips

It’s also time to tune-up your car. Make sure to have your oil changed and all your fluid levels checked. Get your vehicle’s brakes inspected, have your tires rotated, if necessary, clean or replace your windshield wiper blades and inspect headlights and taillights. These 9 DIY car care tips are essential for spring.