Tips for maintaining your home during the autumn & winter

It is highly recommended that you start preparing your home before autumn. Ideally, the best time to prepare is during late summer. Be sure to read the tips below that will help you to properly maintain inside and outside of your home before the cold months.

Interior

1. Safety

You should start by ensuring that all of the safety devices inside of your house are working well. It is best that you do this before you turn on your heating. So, when checking your devices, be sure to replace all batteries on your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. You should also make sure that you have functional fire extinguishers available and they aren’t old or expired.

2. Maintain The Furnace

When the cold season rolls in, the vast majority of HVAC services become quite busy with people calling to service their furnace. So, to prevent this rush, be sure to get your home’s furnace checked by the end of August so that you can rest easy knowing that your furnace is fully functional. At the end of August is the best time to see if your furnace has any issues as oppose to waiting when fall and winter is here and you have to deal with huge and very costly problems.

3. Fix The Insulation

When you have good insulation in your walls and attic, your home will be better protected against cold air. If cold air and drafts get into your home, this will cause your furnace to have to work even harder in order to sufficiently heat up your home. This will cause much higher power bills. So, if you want to reduce your electricity costs, be sure to properly insulate your home.

4. Have Lots Of Blankets & Quilts Available

Make sure that you have enough blankets and quilts available for the entire family. If they have been in storage, make sure to wash and clean them thoroughly at the end of August. It is a great excuse to revamp your home and create a cosy escape ready for the cold weather, visit Voyage outlet to find the perfect pieces. You should also get enough flannel pillowcases and sheets for every bed in your home.

Exterior

1. Cracks

You should definitely check the exterior of your home for any cracks, especially in the foundation. If you find any cracks, make sure and seal them so no cold air gets into your home. If there are cracks around your home and even near to your windows, these will not only cause cold air to get into your home but also various pests such as rats.

2. Roof

Another important part of your home that you should thoroughly check before the cold months is your roof. You should check if your roof needs repairs and if there are any loose shingles that need to be fixed. Also, be sure to look at your gutters and clean them if they are filled with debris. This will ensure that your gutters are clear and can easily drain water.

3. Doors & Windows

Next, you should reinforce your windows and doors by installing storm windows in place of the screens. Also, be sure to install weather stripping and this will also help prevent cold air from getting inside of your home.

4. Trees

Lastly, you should check your yard and if there are any trees with old and decaying branches, be sure to get them removed. You can call your local landscaping service to get this done. This is important because during the winter, the tree and branches would be weighed down with snow while also having to face high winds. This is dangerous to your home since these branches can easily fall on your home, vehicle or even on a family member.