April showers may bring May flowers, but they can also bring leaky basements, moldy walls and costly cleanup. So when you start your Spring cleaning, don't forget to check the outside of your home to make sure it's protected from water damage and natural disasters.

Regular maintenance on the outside of your home could save you thousands of dollars. Jeff Sciaudone, Director of Engineering for the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) says, "You can take a few hours to do a Spring maintenance check -- or you can wait for a storm to come along and show you where your home's weaknesses are."

IBHS recommends all homeowners take the following steps:

• Make sure gutters are clean and stable. This ensures proper drainage and lessens the chance they will become flying debris in high wind.
  
  
• While you're there, examine facia or soffit boards. If they are rotting or soft, they may allow rain into your attic or atop interior walls.
  
  
• Make sure downspouts are sloping away from the house and carrying water at least five feet away from foundation walls.
  
  
• Lawn sprinkler heads should not spray the walls of the house. This moisture can lead to unwanted growths, wall failure and other destructive moisture problems.
  
  
• Examine your roof carefully, looking for worn, curled or missing shingles.
  
  
• If you can't inspect your roof easily, your attic is the next best place to check for problems. Look for moisture or surface discoloration -- and do this every time you go into the attic. The earlier you find a roofing problem, the better.
  
  
• Examine window and door flashing, seals or weatherstripping. If sealants around those openings are no longer pliable and continuous, reseal and caulk them.

When planning home improvements, consider products and techniques that will increase your home's disaster resistance. Choose roofing materials, for example, that are rated for wind- fire- and impact-resistance.

Source: Institute for Business and Home Safety. IBHS is a national nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry to reduce deaths, injuries, property damage, economic losses and human suffering caused by natural disasters.