Fall is in full force, and it’s time to start prepping for the winter. If you haven’t already, bring out your warm boots, sweaters, scarves, and hats – but don’t forget to get your house ready, too! Making sure your home is prepared for the wintertime will not only keep you extra cozy, but it’s also good for your home’s maintenance, too. Follow these 5 steps to prep your home for the winter season.
- Gutter cleanout
It’s a good idea to clean out your gutters regularly, but the change of seasons is a great time to complete this task. Removing all the leaves and sticks from your gutter will help the melted snow and rain drain smoothly.
- Seal your windows and doors correctly
Feeling a draft? Don’t just add on more layers. Check your windows and doors for leaking air. Caulking your windows and doors will help keep the cold air out and the warm air in. This may also help save you money on your heating bill (and probably keep bugs at bay, too).
- Reverse your ceiling fans
You’re probably used to using your ceiling fans on warm days to cool you down, but those fans have a use in the cold months, too. As every middle school science teacher will tell you, warm air rises. So, reversing your ceiling fan will help push that warm air back down into your room, creating warmer air flow and likely cutting down on your energy bill.
Consult your fan’s manual (or give it a google) to figure out how to reverse the direction of your fan’s blades. Just make sure the fan is OFF before you attempt the switch.
- Chimney sweep
Before burning your first wood of the season, make sure your chimney and vents are clean. A cluttered chimney is a fire hazard, and having them cleaned will not only create an easy entrance for Santa on Christmas Eve, it can also prevent carbon monoxide from entering your home.
Installing a steel liner in your chimney is another protective measure to prevent chimney fires and protect your home.
- Let your faucet drip
In those extremely cold temperatures, simply letting your faucet drip will help prevent burst pipes. Pay attention to weather alerts from the local news (and consider enabling weather alerts on your smart home devices like Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa) for when the temperature will drop low enough that your pipes are at risk for freezing. The last thing you want to do in cold temperatures is replace burst pipes.
These steps can make a big difference on how you spend your winter.