If you have outdoor stairs that lead up to your front door, an outdoor deck or patio or to a pool area, it is important that you properly maintain those stairs. Properly maintaining the stairs helps to extend their lifespan, while also helping to keep people who use them safe. Here are a few outdoor stairs maintenance tips for homeowners to follow when cleaning and maintaining their outdoor stairs.
Routinely Sweep Your Stairs
One of the easiest ways to maintain your outdoor stairs is to routinely sweep them. You should be starting at the top landing and moving down to sweep each stair. Sweeping helps to remove dirty, dust and debris from your stairs, all of which can make your stairs look dirty and old or can become slippery when wet.
Mop or Pressure Wash the Stairs as Needed
If your stairs are beginning to look dirty, and sweeping is not helping, one of the outdoor stairs maintenance tips for home owners that you should follow is mopping the stairs. You can fill a mop bucket with a solution that is ideal for the material that your stairs are made from, such as concrete or wood. Then, mop the stairs, once again starting from the top and working your way down. A couple of times a year, or if there is algae or mildew present, you should pressure wash your stairs to deep clean them.
Replace Tread on the Stairs When Yours is Worn
Placing tread on your outdoor stairs can help to give them some texture. This can help to prevent the stairs from being slippery when wet or icy. However, as tread is constantly walked on, it can begin to wear out. If your tread is not vey visible, it may be time to replace the tread on your stairs.
Ensure the Handrails Are Stable and Sturdy
The final outdoor stairs maintenance tips for homeowners is to take the time to ensure the handrails are stable and sturdy. If your handrails are wobbly or can be pushed, a professional needs to be called in to tighten the handrails up. This helps to ensure that the handrails can support the weight of someone holding on to them.
Outdoor stairs maintenance tips for homeowners helps homeowners learn how to care for their stairs properly. This helps to prevent the stairs from becoming dirty, slippery or unsafe. If you have outdoor stairs, you will want to ensure they are swept at least monthly, mopped or pressure washed as needed, have the tread replaced when the tread is becoming worn and routinely check to ensure the handrails are stable and sturdy.