Handyman: Prep your home for Fourth of July parties

If you are hosting people for a barbecue this Fourth of July weekend, you surely have lots to do to get ready for your guests. But before you go out and buy all the steaks, chicken and corn on the cob, spend some time in party prep mode to make sure your guests are comfortable and safe.

Mosquitoes are one pest guaranteed to ruin an outdoor party. The best way to minimize the number of mosquitoes is to get rid of any standing water on your property, which seems to be in abundance this year with all the rain we have had. That includes low-lying areas of the yard, gutters, planter trays, tarps and even the dog’s water bowl.

To kill mosquito larvae in ponds, fountains or marshy areas of your yard, try products like Mosquito Bits and Mosquito Dunks by Summit Chemical, summitchemical.com. There are also propane insect foggers from Bonide, bonide.com, to keep mosquitoes away. Even an oscillating fan adds a breeze to help knock down flying insects.

The abundance of rain also makes your outdoor furniture dirtier than usual. You can use Simple Green, simplegreen.com, and water to clean cushions, outdoor furniture and umbrellas. Use 30 Second Outdoor Cleaner, 30secondscleaners.com, and a garden hose to clean your composite, PVC or wood deck and plastic resin furniture.

Since your guests will be walking around your property at night, you should make sure your outdoor lighting is sufficient. If you have decorative solar lights around your walkways or patio, check the rechargeable batteries in them to provide the most light and give them at least eight hours of direct sunlight to recharge properly. Then clean the photocell on them to make sure it will turn on at night. You should also change out all the incandescent light bulbs in your exterior light fixtures to energy-saving LED bulbs.

Of course the grill also needs to be cleaned and ready so your barbecue is a hit, and you can read my article “Get Ready for the Grilling Season” from May 14, 2015 at masterhandyman.com to get tips to get it in shape. Before the guests arrive, make sure you have an extra propane tank on hand so you don’t run out when grilling, and get a portable fire extinguisher like the Tundra Fire Extinguishing Spray from First Alert, firstalert.com, in case you have a grease fire in the grill or the fire pit gets out of hand.

No Fourth of July party would be complete with out the star of the show, Old Glory herself. If you are looking for all the rules on flag etiquette, I recommend going to usflag.org where information pertaining to the display of the American flag can be found.

Now when your guests arrive, you can just focus on cooking, entertaining and having fun.