Canton, Mich.— RepairClinic.com®, the trusted online store for replacement parts for outdoor power equipment, home appliances and heating and cooling equipment, today shared five simple ways to repair a yard after winter damage.
“At the first signs of spring, homeowners tend to be overwhelmed by the damaged, dull appearance of their yards,” said Jeff Linderman, RepairClinic.com’s in-house landscaping and outdoor power equipment specialist. “Fortunately, just a few simple steps will repair and revive yards for the season.”
1. Tune-up outdoor power equipment and gardening tools.
“Proper care of outdoor power equipment will positively affect the appearance of the yard, improve efficiency and extend the life of the equipment,” said Linderman. “For example, dull lawn mower blades will tear grass, rather than cut, and result in a yellow hue over your lawn. Also, a tune-up kit makes it easy to find everything you need to get your small engine ready for the season.”
[Editor’s note: It’s easy to find the tune-up kit for your lawn mower or other small engine. Enter your engine model number on RepairClinic.com/tune-up.
2. Clear debris.
Remove pebbles, stones, branches and any other debris that litter the lawn. Pay particular attention to the grass along sidewalks and driveways, which are areas most likely to have collected snowblower-thrown debris.
3. Dethatch and aerate.
Thatch is a layer of mixed dead grass that prevents the grass from properly obtaining the nutrients needed to be healthy. Aeration is the process of creating passageways in soil for greater air, water and nutrient intake.
“Fertilization and other lawn maintenance efforts will be ineffective until thatch is removed,” Linderman said. “You can remove thatch with a basic rake or by renting a professional dethatcher. After dethatching, aerate the lawn with a pitchfork or by renting a professional push or gasoline-powered aerator. These are critical first steps to creating a healthy lawn.”
4. Fertilize early with strategy.
“Purchasing the wrong fertilizer can very easily kill your grass, trees, shrubbery and other vegetation in your yard,” Linderman said. “Purchase a soil test kit from a hardware store or garden center (usually under 10 dollars) and measure your soil’s nitrogen, potassium and pH levels. Use that information coupled with your yard’s unique conditions (grass type, foot traffic, presence of sunlight and shade, regional climate and vulnerability to weed and pest infestations) to find the right fertilizer formula for your yard.”
A lawn should be fertilized in the spring and fall. Follow package application directions closely.
5. Plan ahead.
“Take time to plan well improvements to your yard,” said Linderman. “Think about what will work best for your yard in the short and long-term future.”
Homeowners can save money and time by repairing outdoor power equipment on their own. RepairClinic’s free advanced online troubleshooting and how-to repair help system empowers people to fix common problems associated with outdoor power equipment, major home appliances and heating and cooling equipment. DIYers enter a model number to choose from a list of common symptoms for that particular model, troubleshoot and learn the likely causes, purchase the correct part and watch expertly-produced how-to repair videos.
The company’s in-house teams produce the repair help content, including the 1,600+ how-to videos that are viewed 45,000 times daily and have been viewed more than 26 million times since 2010. Since the company’s founding in 1999, three million customers have saved $250 million in repair costs by fixing stuff on their own.
This year, RepairClinic.com celebrates 15 years in business and several recent, notable milestones. In February 2014, the company announced it had earned an “Excellent” rating for customer service from the independent, third-party evaluator Stella Service. In 2012, RepairClinic became one of the first online retailers to make it easy for do-it-yourselfers to find and purchase heating and cooling equipment replacement parts. Also in 2012, the company began shipping to Canada.
###
RepairClinic.com® makes fixing things easy for millions of people. Founded in 1999, it is North America’s trusted online store with replacement parts for major household appliances, outdoor power equipment and heating and cooling equipment. Free repair resources including more than 1,600 how-to videos empower people to fix stuff on their own. One million parts for 160 brands are stocked at its 86,000-square-foot facility in Canton, Michigan. It offers a generous, no-hassle 365 Days. Period.® return policy. In-stock parts are guaranteed to ship the same business day. For more information, visit RepairClinic.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Contact Jody Lamb, Public Relations Manager, at JLamb [at] RepairClinic.com.
All quotes from this release may be attributed to Jeff Linderman, RepairClinic.com’s in-house landscaping and outdoor power equipment specialist.
