Prepping Your Home For Winter
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Everybody has been aware of spring cleaning, but not many people know what it means to winterize your home. Fall season means winter is around the corner, and you should use the chance to make sure that your house is ready for it. During fall it really is easier to examine the outside of the home, since the foliage is dying away and you can more easily see if shrubs are attached to the house. Siding is easily damaged by roots and vines that cling to the surface area – even bricks aren’t immune – and they should be cleaned off.
Once you’re finished watering for the year, you must drain all of the hose, and roll them up to be stored away. The water resource to faucets outside the house really should be cut, after which these can dry out. After you think you won’t make use of the garden furniture once again that year, get it cleaned and stored in a dry place. Any kind of young trees you may have planted, it is best to protect them with mulch, especially if it is their first winter. All water drainage ditches should really be cleared to enable them to cope with any heavy rains.
Fireplaces spring to mind once the weather begins getting colder. Everyone needs a chimney sweep at the same time when a chilly spell shows up, so call early to beat the rush. When you use logs, do not hold off in finding someone and getting a good supply built up. When cruising around rural areas, you might find local people who sell fire wood, without lots of advertising. Whether or not you employ a fireplace in the winter, you should check all of your smoke alarms to make sure they are working. If you leave your Christmas lights up for the whole year, check that the cords continue to be flexible. If you normally mount storm windows, this is the time to do it. You need to assess if some of the weather-stripping has become dried out from the summer’s heat and has to be replaced.
Over the winter months, the windows are left closed most of the time, so make sure that the filtering system in your range hood are in good working order. Confirm that the slope of the ground around your house will still allow water to flow away. In case water appears to drain into the cellar, or the foundation, that can be bad news for your house. In the first instance it brings about wet rot, which could transform to dry rot after some time, which you sincerely want to do without. You ought to search for seepage frequently.
You must look for leaks, the most susceptible places being the roof, gutters, down-pipes and inside plumbing. It goes without saying, but all the leaks must be repaired. Minimize a draft by covering air-conditioning units, and think about wrapping exterior pipes, especially if the house is older. It’s a good idea to shampoo the floor coverings, since dust is more noticeable in the winter. Finish off simply by cleaning the windows.