Five Must-Dos to Prep Your Home for Winter'

 

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Taking a little time out in fall to prepare your home for winter can save you time, frustration, and money. Here are five essential tasks you should complete early in the fall and some tips on how to do them.

Check the route from the street to your door

Early fall is the time to deal with any potential tripping or slipping hazards on the route from the street to your door. It’s also the time to double-check your lighting. If you don’t have exterior lighting then you should probably make it a priority to get some. If you do, you need to make sure it’s still functioning as it should and if not make sure that it’s fixed.

Put garden tools away properly

Give your garden tools the care they deserve. At the very least make sure they’re clean before you put them away. Ideally, sharpen your edged tools (or have a pro do it for you) and give all metal parts a touch of oil.  

If you have space, consider storing your bladed tools in a bucket of sand, as this helps to keep their edge. If you don’t then think about how best to protect your tools from damp. For example, you could wrap their metal parts in old (clean) rags. Taking the time to put away your tools mindfully will make your life much easier when it’s time to start proper gardening again.

Deal with any exterior repairs and maintenance

Nobody wants to do exterior repairs or maintenance in late fall or winter. Early fall is, therefore, your last chance to tackle them before spring. In particular, give your gutters and drains a thorough clean, even if they seem in good working order. Prevention is always better than cure, especially in sub-zero temperatures!

Declutter your home

Even if you gave your home a thorough declutter in spring, you’ll probably have accumulated “stuff” since then. You’ll also probably have more “stuff” coming your way over the holiday season. Early fall is therefore a great time to give your home a thorough declutter, and if you want to do a big decluttering then you can always hire a Junk removal service to handle the heavy lifting for you.

If you’re not comfortable getting rid of your belongings, then consider putting them in self storage units. That way you have the reassurance of knowing that you can still access them. If, however, you haven’t needed (or wanted) to access them by the time spring rolls around, then you can confidently move them on to be a blessing to someone else.

Check your energy efficiency

When it comes to energy efficiency, the key point to remember is that little changes can add up to big savings. This is especially true if you spend a lot of time at home, for example, if you work from home.

Remember that most heat is lost through doors and windows so try to keep both closed as much as possible. Use draft excluders to block gaps under internal doors (and external ones if necessary). Try to use lined curtains instead of unlined ones (or blinds).

If you have radiators, put silver foil behind them to reflect heat back into the room (instead of the wall). Also, make sure that the space in front of them is clear so that the warm air can circulate freely.