Does anybody truly enjoy doing work around the house? Unless your name is Monica and you’re a clean freak, then you probably want to do as little work as possible but still impress people when they invade your humble abode. Here a couple of good ideas that’ll keep your place looking good, but won’t take up all your weekend free time.

1. The Lawn – That’s the stuff that’s supposed to be green in front of your house. The same stuff that your neighbors see all the time and the stuff that your guests see when they pull into your driveway. It really gives them your first impression of what your house is like on the inside. Keeping your lawn green is not black magic, but it does take some special work. Keeping it fertilized is the best way to keep it green, obviously. But it’s also a way to keep bugs and weeds from invading your lawn too. A healthy lawn will keep those ugly weeds from invading the greenery. It should be done about 4 times a year, at least down here in Florida. Those of you in colder states should avoid putting fertilizer down in the snow. That’ll only keep it snowing for longer. Use a good quality Weed N Feed from Scott’s or equivalent. And make sure you follow the directions exactly. Not doing so WILL damage your lawn. In this case, more is not always better. Also make sure you know what type of grass you have too, before you buy the fertilizer.

2. Insects – Mother Nature’s sorry excuse for a housecleaning service. Bugs WILL come into your house and try to eat what you leave behind. The best way to avoid run-ins with these creatures is to not leave anything behind. Cockroaches, ants and spiders are a fact of life, but you don’t have to share your home with them. Keeping the kitchen clean, especially behind the refrigerator and stove will help keep the bugs down to a minimum. The inside of your kitchen cabinets would also be a good place to clean. These are places you should clean about every 6 months or so, and will help out tremendously with keeping the bugs away.

Remember, it’s not that it takes a whole lot of time to do these things, you just don’t think of doing it very often. Preventative maintenance goes a long way in keeping the insects dying and the lawn growing, not the other way around. You would much rather take a Saturday to clean the odd places than trying to chase down a cockroach every other night, right? So now your lawn will say “WELCOME” to your guests, and not your ants.