Front Porch Care

Cleaning

• Proper front porch care includes regular cleaning. Sweep weekly to remove all leaves or other organic debris that might build up on the porch. Twice a year, it can be a good idea to thoroughly clean your front porch. Use a long-handled brush and baking soda to scrub walkways and the porch to remove ground-in dirt, then rinse with water. You can rinse with a mild bleach solution (1 cup bleach to one gallon of water) to prevent mold. Take care not to get bleach on grass or other plants, because it can burn them.

Paint

• Painted railings or decking can be attractive on a front porch, but this attractiveness can fade if paint is allowed to fade or chip. When first painting your porch, buy an extra gallon of paint and keep it on hand for minor repairs. Use a small brush to fill in chips as they appear or paint over cracks or blemishes in the wood as they appear. After you complete your semi-annual cleaning of your home's exterior and all cleaning products have dried, take some time to repaint any areas of your front porch with faded or chipped paint.

Landscape Maintenance

• While plants in pots or in the ground can make a front porch inviting, overgrown plants and weeds can diminish the attractiveness of a front porch. Always prune back plants in late summer or early fall -- whenever they go dormant for the winter. Regularly pull up weeds in flower beds near the front porch or lay down landscaping material and mulch to prevent weeds. Potted plants also need regular maintenance in addition to feeding and watering. Clean the outside of plant containers and scrub around the base of containers to prevent dirt buildup and mold.

Walkways and Concrete

• Walkways around a front porch also require regular maintenance to maintain their beauty and durability. To clean walkways, mix a mild detergent such as liquid laundry detergent or dish soap with water in a garden sprayer, then spray over walkways and paving stones. Use a long-handled brush to scrub, then rinse with water. As with paint, buy extra paving stones when you first install your walkway so that you can replace cracked stones.