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Everyone has learned about spring cleaning, but hardly any people know what it means to winterize your home. Once fall season arrives you should inspect your home’s readiness for the upcoming winter. In the course of fall it is easier to inspect the outside of the home, since the foliage is dying away and you can more easily see if shrubs are attached to the house. Exterior siding is quickly damaged by roots and vines that cling to the surface – even bricks aren’t immune – and they should be cleaned off.
When you are done with watering for the year, you must drain all of the hose, and roll them up to be stored away. The water to your external faucets should be turned off, so that they can drain and get dry. Whenever you believe that you won’t use the garden furniture again that year, get it cleaned and stored in a dry place. For those who have any trees that happen to be still developing, and especially those that have not endured a winter, shield them by placing mulch around the base of their stems. 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. Try to get your chimney swept in time, before the first cold spell, because that’s generally when everyone wakes up and wants it done. In case 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 during the winter, you should check all of your smoke alarms to make sure they are working. If you leave your Holiday lights up for the whole year, check that the cords continue to be flexible. If you normally install storm windows, this is the time to do it. You need to verify if some of the weather-stripping has become dried out from the summer’s heat and has to be replaced.
Throughout the winter season, the windows are still closed most of the time, so make sure that the filtering system in your range hood are in good working order. Examine the land surface around your house to make sure that it still slopes away. When water goes on to drain into the basement, or the foundation, that can be bad news for your house. To begin with it leads to wet rot, which could change to dry rot after some time, which you sincerely want to do without. You should look for seepage on a regular basis.
You need to check for leaks, the most vulnerable places being the roof, gutters, down-pipes and inside plumbing. It’s a given, but every one of the leaks needs to be repaired. Prevent a draft by covering up air-conditioning units, and look at wrapping exterior pipes, especially if the house is older. It is a wise course of action to shampoo the carpets and rugs, since dust is more noticeable in the winter. Wind up by cleaning the windows.