Whip Your Home Into Shape For Winter

Paul Denikin

With the summer ending, and the leaves beginning to fall, winter is really on it’s way. The chilly winds, snow, and road conditions will make you want to stay inside more than ever before – and that means it’s time to start prepping your home for winter! You refresh your wardrobe once chilly weather hits, and it’s no surprise that you should switch out some things in your home as well! Take a look at these considerations for winterizing your home – even if you don’t have a lot of time.

Refresh and Revitalize

Just like your wardrobe, it’s time to look around your house and see what needs sprucing up. Fall is the best time to get those painting, cleaning, and minor renovation tasks done. It allows you to keep windows open since the weather is still nice, and helps to ventilate any of the fumes from painting, or the moisture from steam cleaning a carpet. Allow kids to help with the painting, too! They might not be great at it, but making it a family paint party will get them involved and make sure they understand the work that goes into owning a home in the future. Don’t forget to replace or clean any carpets around the house, too, especially if the one in the living room just can’t take any more salt-covered shoes.

This is also a great time to make sure you have a mudroom that will allow you to remove shoes and coats before coming into your cleaned up home! This is easily doable by adding a bench with some cubbies underneath by the front door, as well as a coat rack close to the front door, if you don’t have an actual mudroom. Make sure to remind your kids the first few times they come in covered in snow that that is what the mudroom area is for. Salt does not mix well with new carpets, or even hardwood. Save your flooring the beating, and give guests a place to kick off their shoes.

Comfy and Cozy

Fall and winter are the best times to have guests around, as it can be hard to find some place to meet up and do when it can be bitterly cold outside. It’s the season for parties, and you don’t want your party guests to get cold. To fight this off, make sure that you either check up on your HVAC unit yourself, or call a technician to make sure it’s in working order. You can waste a lot of money by not getting it checked on first thing as it starts to get cold, and making sure there are no leaks in your ductwork. By having both the airflow and the unit checked, you are sure to have the warmest winter yet, and your pocketbook will thank you, too! Make sure to switch out your air filters as well – find the right size for your unit, and do your research on what kind of filter would be best for your home and family, especially if you have any allergies or difficulties with breathing in your family.

Preventing Costly Fixes

As important as it is to make sure your home looks and feels good for winter, there are things that you need to do to make sure you don’t have any serious issues when the snows come. First off, you should take a walk around the outside of your home, make sure you have no cracks in your foundation that small animals or bugs can work their way into. If you see issues, contact a contractor to get them fixed up. Also check for any iffy tree limbs around your home that might snap under the snow and ice – you can either cut these down yourself or, again, call a contractor. You will want to check up on your roof for the same reason – flimsy roofing, or issues with the shingles can lead to big issues under the weight of snow and ice. Finally, don’t forget to clean out your gutters, and even install a cover to keep them clean.

Winter can be one of the best seasons, but making sure you keep your ducks in a row in your home is going to make it the most comfortable one yet!

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