Check your paint job. Look for chipped, cracked paint along the exterior of your home. "The worse thing you can do is leave wood exposed, because thats when it will begin to rot," says Brian Gummel, president of The Painting Company in Edgewater, Maryland. Scrape off any failing paint. Sand it down so there are no rough edges, prime the bare wood surface and paint it with a high quality paint product. Dont wait until siding accumulates too much dirt. Brighten up the house with a good power washing.