9 Functional Essentials for the Prepared Summer Host
The Home Depot is offering big savings on items that will make backyard entertaining a breeze.
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Among summer’s long list of simple pleasures, spending time in your own backyard with friends and family has to be near the very top. Perfecting the art of outdoor hosting starts with preparing your home and lawn.
Maybe the edges of your flower beds or tree rings could use a trim. Or you need a kitchen appliance upgrade to handle large dinner party tasks. What about your grill or insect-management setup? Chances are, you’ll need some restocks and enhancements for efficient summer entertaining.
You can score the essentials on your list for up to 40% off during The Home Depot’s Fourth of July Savings event from now until July 8. Shop our top picks below.
Designed to be used with the Hubspace app, these commercial-grade, LED smart lights are equipped with customizable colors and can be synchronized with your music to get guests into the party spirit.
Mosquitoes are known to crash the party, especially in muggy summertime weather. Airflow from a powerful fan like the DeWalt 20V Max can help deter them by weakening their ability to fly. With variable speeds, the cordless device has several staging options for strategic positioning including freestanding, hang-hooks, and a tripod mount.
Add another layer of pest protection—as well as backyard ambience—with this all-natural citronella and cedar, mosquito-repellant formula. Featuring an easy pour bottle that minimizes mess, it’s suitable for table torches as well. Bonus: Right now you can get two free Tiki Bamboo Torches with your BiteFighter purchase (offer ends on July, 8)
Get your backyard edges drum-tight before guests arrive. This attachment-capable unit delivers more power than a 32cc gas trimmer and will run for upwards of 65 minutes with a 40V 6Ah battery. It can handle heavy weeds and grass along with precision work, and it runs 86% quieter than a gas-powered trimmer.
No Independence Day is complete without a display of stars and stripes. Get two dozen and stake them all over the backyard, or hand out to guests ahead of a local parade or fireworks display.
Using a power washer to blast mildew off of your siding, magically erase stains from walkways, or rinse grime off of patio furniture is a satisfying experience. This DeWalt model delivers 3,400 pounds of pressure per square inch and 2.5 gallons of water per minute. It’ll get your house ship-shape for entertaining.
Two words: Smash. Burgers. You can’t do those on a regular grill without adding a griddle-like accessory. Ditto items like chopped vegetables and bacon. Griddles cook proteins such as chicken and steak in their own juices, yielding maximum tenderness. Also: they’re easier to clean and maintain—and capable of cooking breakfast items like eggs. Plus they don’t have flare-ups.
Those of us who love our pets will agree that the biggest (only?) downside to ownership is the hair. It gets literally everywhere, including on any outdoor furniture with fabric. Before guests arrive, make the rounds inside and out with RYOBI’s super-powerful, ultra-convenient cordless vacuum, specifically designed to lift pet hair from multiple surfaces. Do another run for general tidying up after the party.
This sleek machine has Microban antimicrobial technology and smart features that enable you to control and monitor it from anywhere. The unit’s dry boost technology gets items three times drier than heated-dry machines. Its hard food disposer, which pulverizes stuck-on food, allows you to skip the pre-rinse step, a bonus you’ll be thankful for after a large gathering.
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