Spring is nearly a month away, which means it will soon be time to repair all the damages winter has done to your property. While chain link fences certainly stand up to the elements much better than wooden fences, that doesn’t mean they’re impervious to ice, snow, sleet, slush, and hail.

Here are a few of the repairs you’re going to want to make once the winter thaws.

Grease the Hinges.

Start with the easiest thing first. Get a can of WD-40, and lube the hinges of your house fences. Just spray some right on the hinge, and then open and close your chain link fence a couple times. The WD-40 should start doing its thing, and your hinges will stop squeaking. This is a good thing for any and all homeowners to do, even if their metal fences aren’t squeaking.

Get the Rust Off.

Next, you should worry about getting the rust off of your chain link fences. Rub the affected areas with steel wool until the rust comes off. Then, rub some naval jelly onto the chain link fence’s afflicted areas, and let it set for about 10 minutes. Lastly, put some mineral spirits on to a rag, and wipe the naval jelly off.

Waterproof the Fence.

While many homeowners like to leave their chain link fences unpainted, preferring the metallic look, it’s a much smarter idea to waterproof them and protect them from any potential damage that may occur in the future. Unfortunately, there aren’t any waterproofing sealants available in spray-cans, which means it must be done by hand. Be sure to get inside the chain links, so that you don’t miss any areas.

There will be plenty of time to enjoy the Spring once it’s sprung, but homeowners need to start repairing and maintaining their properties the moment things thaw out, otherwise the damage could get worse.

If you have any questions about fixing chain link fences, feel free to ask in the comments. To see more, read this.