With winter setting in, it’s important not to neglect one of your home’s most important hardscaping elements: your patio. Though it may not be used often during the cold, simple maintenance tips will keep your patio in prime condition throughout winter, making spring setup easy. Below are four patio maintenance tips you should follow this winter.

How To Care for Your Patio This Winter

1. Repair Damages As They Occur

Falling ice, branches, and debris can damage your patio, leaving dents, chips, cracks, or scrapes behind. After a winter storm or a windy day, check your patio—and other hardscaping elements—for signs of damage and have repairs completed by reputable landscapers or contractors. Winter precipitation can thaw and refreeze in crevices, expanding them and worsening the problem as the season progresses.

2. Keep It Clean

Don’t neglect your patio just because you aren’t using it often. As needed, remove leaves, branches, dirt, and grime from your patio, which will make the task of preparing it for warm weather much easier. Beyond that, allowing debris to accumulate and pile up throughout winter can lead to discoloration or even mold problems, requiring more effort and money to prepare the patio for spring.

3. Remember Your Plants & Accessories

If you have outdoor plants on your patio that you can’t bring in, don’t forget to protect them from frost, ice, and snow by covering them with waterproof tarps and insulating them with extra mulch. Keep them watered if there isn’t much precipitation for an extended period. You should also protect your accessories—including patio furniture, lawn care items, and grills—with covers if they’re not stored in a building. This will prevent rusting, molding, or staining so they’ll be ready to go in the summer.

4. Cover Your Firepit

Stone firepits are a common hardscaping element to have built into your patio, and you should maintain them with the same level of care. Clean the firepit before winter, and keep it clean as you use it. When not in use, protect it with a durable cover. If it becomes damaged by debris, have it repaired as soon as possible to prevent it from worsening.

If your patio has taken a hit this winter or you want to update it this spring, contact Evergreen Landscape Management in Rochester, NY. From design to installation, these landscapers are experts at creating beautiful hardscaping and landscaping elements to enhance your enjoyment of your home. With over 24 years of experience, all of their services are high-quality and professional, from tree care to landscape design to lawn care. Learn more about their hardscaping services online, and call (585) 889-9300 to schedule a service.