The March Checklist

Get a jump on spring cleaning

Spring officially begins March 20 at 7:02 a.m. So that you’re free to celebrate outdoors if the weather cooperates, devote a cold, rainy day earlier in the month to a spring-cleaning ritual: the closet clean-out.

(istockphoto) - Now’s the time to clean up the remnants of last season’s garden and tidy up after winter storms.

●Take out everything and sort it.

●Get rid of whatever you don’t need.

●Vacuum out all the crevices.

●If you don’t have a system that allows you to use the space efficiently, switch to high and low rods or install shelves above, below or to the side of hanging garments.

●If clothes are dusty, briefly tumble them in a dryer before you put them back.

Tune up the lawn  mower

Before the grass gets galloping, make sure your lawn mower is ready for another season. If you have an electric model, you might just need to get the blade sharpened. A gas mower needs more attention. Besides a sharpened blade, it needs a new air filter, an oil change and a new spark plug. Make sure the machine starts, too. If it doesn’t, the motormight be gummed up. You can do the work yourself — a bunch of brand-specific YouTube videos show the steps, including how to clean varnishlike gunk from a carburetor — or you can take the mower to a company that services these machines. But hurry. At Jack’s Lawnmower Repair in Pasadena, (410-760-2430; jackslawnmowerrepair@yahoo.com), owner Kevin McDevitt says the wait to get a mower serviced is usually about a week for early birds who come in at the beginning of March but two to three weeks for people who wait until mowing season is underway. “It all depends on the weather,” he said. “Last year, people were mowing by the middle of March.”

Get fresh fuel

Many small-engine repair shops have seen huge increases in gummed-up motors in recent years, and the folks who work on them blame the ethanol that the federal government requires in most gasoline as a way of encouraging the biofuels industry. As the mixture becomes stale, it thickens and causes parts to seize up. So that mower you bought new toward the end of last summer might not start now if you left fuel in it, even though the machine has barely been used. And the snowblower you bought last year and hardly used this winter is even more likely to balk when you need it next year. Avoid problems by mixing a fuel stabilizer when you buy gas, and use up whatever is in the machine at the end of the season. If you still have gas from last fall in your gas can, don’t top it off. Get rid of the leftovers first, but not by pouring it on the ground. Most small-engine shops take back spent fuel, though some charge a disposal fee.

Another option is to buy ethanol-free gas at one of the stations now offering it. Unfortunately for inland folks, these tend to cluster near harbors and small airports, because regular gasoline causes havoc with boat and plane engines, too. Find locations at www.pure-gas.org. Lawn mower repair shops also sell pure gasoline by the quart, but it’s pricey, often about $9, making it a practical option only for the last time you use a machine for the season.

Look underfoot

Because March days tend to be relatively warm but drier than days later in the spring, this is a great time to check outdoor steps, walkways and decks to make sure they are still stable and not slippery. If treads are coated with algae or moss, scrub it off by hand or with a power washer adjusted to a setting appropriate for the material. The pressure can be higher if you’re cleaning stone or concrete than if you’re dealing with wood. If your house has wooden steps and boards are loose, inspect them to make sure the wood isn’t rotten. Replace any pieces that are, and screw the others back into place. If the handrail is wobbly, repair or replace it.