Get Your Home Ready for Winter [Guide]

Now is a great time to get your home prepared for winter. What needs to be done around the outside of your home that can prevent problems and preserve outdoor items? What should you do now to ensure that the inside of your home will be a warm and healthy haven throughout the winter season?

Getting the following tasks done now will help the season go smoothly. Left unchecked, these things will eventually become an issue and may turn out to be a huge and costly problem to fix. The following is a partial list of things to do before winter sets.

Outside

Clean outside patio furniture and store. Ideally, patio furniture should be deep cleaned and stored away. If there is not enough storage space to put all of your patio furniture away, then cover them as best you can and arrange them in an area where weather and wind is least harsh. Removing and storing freshly cleaned cushions will help preserve them for next year.

Inspect outdoor lighting. See if bulbs need replacing or covers need cleaning. Longer nights make ample lighting important for safety especially when there is ice or snow on the ground.

Move equipment and tools used in the winter to the front of your storage area. Items such as shovels, snow blowers, ice melt or salt should be in easy reach. This also would be a great time to get your storage area - shed or garage - de-cluttered and organized.

Window air conditioning units should be either removed and stored or covered with an insulated liner.

The barbecue grill will be ready for you next year if you have it deep cleaned and covered or stored now.

If you have a screen door on any entry way, replace the screen with a storm door or insert to preserve your screens, keep warmth in the home, and prevent ice build up.

Turn off exterior faucets. Water that is left in pipes will freeze and expand causing damage or evening causing the pipes to burst. Not only will this create an awful mess but will be expensive to repair. Kiplinger Magazine suggested that unless you have frost proof faucets, to drain them and turn them off from the inside shut off valve. Drain, wipe down, and store hoses as well.

Inspect windows and doors for gaps. These gaps will allow precious warm air to escape. Caulk and/or replace weather stripping. This will not only help make the indoors more comfortable but will also save money.

Another advantage to preventive maintenance chores is that outdoor items will be in good shape for when warm weather returns. The transition back into Spring will be much easier.

Inside

Some things to consider about the inside of your home is that during the winter season, the house tends to stay closed up. Indoor temperatures are typically warmer and even though it's comfortable, it is easy for germs to grow and spread. Indoor air quality is very important and should be addressed. Invest in easy to care for plants. These are natural air purifiers. Keeping the home clean will contribute to health. A clean environment is a difficult environment for bacteria and viruses to survive. Here are some things to do now to help your home and family to be healthy.

Deep clean throughout the house. This will remove accumulated summer dirt. Most enjoy outdoor activities more in the summer and fall and therefore track the outdoors in with them. Now is a great time to get it back out. A deep clean will get into all of the crevices. Every space is freshened and sanitized so that when your home is closed up in the winter time the indoor air will be healthier. Deep cleaning also removes any breeding grounds for virus and bacteria.

Change house filters. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to regularly change the HVAC filters. Home experts agree - HGTV, Bob Vila, Better Homes & Gardens, Kiplinger, CleanLLC (to name a few) all say that this is one of the most important things to do to ensure healthy indoor air. Other filters that should be changed regularly are water filters, air purifying filters, vacuum cleaner filters, heat recovery filters, and kitchen range screens. You may have other filters that need inspecting and/or cleaning. Now is the time.

Deep clean upholstered furniture. Pollen, dust, pet dander and dirt have been accumulating in the fibers of furniture. Remove them now from your sofas, chairs, and fabric window fixtures. Fresh and clean furniture not only lasts longer and looks better, but also contributes to healthy indoor air quality and reduces breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses - helping you and your family stay healthy.

Reverse ceiling fan. Change the direction of ceiling fans to go clockwise. During warmer months the counter clockwise direction encouraged cool air flow. Even though it may not seem to be a good idea to use the ceiling fan at all in the winter, running it clockwise actually encourages the warm air that naturally rises to go back down into the living space. The fan also keeps the air circulating which is important. This reduces heating costs and keeps the home comfortable.

Home humidifiers are great to keep the air from getting to dry which is better for your health but is also good for the health of the wood in your home according to Better Homes and Gardens. Dirty humidifiers are trouble though. It is vital to have these cleaned properly. Using the right cleaning solution will ensure the parts are cleaned without damage. Also it will ensure the removal of old moisture, mineral deposits and mold spores.

Other items that now would be a good time to inspect, clean, & change if needed are:

Smoke detectors

CO Monitors

Fire Extinguishers - clean & check pressure and pin position

Get rid of old newspapers & magazines

Removed fire hazards - such as hazardous household chemicals

Inspect dryer vents - remove debris

Swap out bedding - launder and store

Organize closets while converting wardrobe

This article did not list all of the things you'll want to do before winter sets in. But all of the items mentioned here are things we at CleanLLC can help you with. Admittedly to get your home ready for winter the right way can be intensive, exhausting and time consuming. Give us a call. We can inspect your home to see what exactly needs to be done and take care of it for you – whether you want us to take care of some or all of these weatherizing jobs for you - give us a call.

Schedule Your Appointment Here

Resources: Kipplinger; Better Homes and Garden, HGTV, Bob Vila

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