Winter is knocking on our doors and it is time to get our houses ready to embrace winter’s cold and bad weather. Before winter comes in full swing, you should do the proper winter home maintenance to make sure your home is all geared up.
From covering leaks and insulation to winterizing exterior pipes and taking care of the outdoor furniture, we give you here winter home maintenance to-do list that will your home in tip-top shape for the cold.
1. Protect your floor
By adding simple and small touches to your entryway, you will protect your floor from winter’s dust, mud, rain and snow. Besides the outdoor mat, you can place a rug or a mat near the door to avoid bringing dirt in your family’s shoes into the house. You can also opt for waterproof rugs for boots; they will come in handy especially on rainy winter days.
2. Cover any air leaks
Check for any cracks in your windows or any air leaks around the window. By doing this you won’t only prevent cold air from getting inside the house, but you will also save on heating costs by making your house warmer than outside.
3. Buy extra window treatments
Curtains help in keeping the cold outside your house. Hang your curtains wider than the window frame; let them cascade to the floor, and install them as close to the windows as possible to seal up small spaces around the edges. In hot summer days, you can open them to cool the place and during winter, close them tightly to keep the warm in.
4. Reverse ceiling fans
During winter cold days, ceiling fans should rotate clockwise at a low speed to pull cool air up. By doing this, the blades of the fan will pull the cool air from below and push it upwards, keeping your space much warmer and save energy as well.
5. Winterize your exterior pipes
If you have pipes on the exterior walls, then you should cover them as in extremely cold climates, frozen pipes will get burst. If you have garden hoses or swimming pool systems, it is preferable to disconnect your garden hose and drain your pool during winter. As for any exterior wall pipes, it is advisable to buy pipe sleeves or pipe tape to prevent exposed pipes from freezing and bursting.
6. Clean your home heaters
Before winter, heating systems maintenance is mandatory. During winters, home heaters attract dust and dirt which affects their efficiency and lower their heat output, hence consuming more energy in vain. This is why you have to regularly clean your home heaters and maintain your heating systems. Change your air filters and make sure that PVC vent pipes are cleared of snow and debris to guarantee high-efficiency heating systems.
7. Shield your patio furniture and appliances
If you have a deck or patio, you should protect them from cold winter days. Not all winter days are rainy, so don’t move your outdoor furniture and instead protect it by covering outdoor furniture and appliances. Opt for water-resistant covers during the rainy days.
