Rainfall and cooler temperatures give us telltale signs that the weather is cooling down for the full swing of fall. Soon enough, the leaves will be falling and trees will turn from green to shades of yellow, orange, red and brown.
This is a good time to prepare your home for winter. Particularly, if you live up north the winters are colder, you want to be sure that your home is prepared for you and your family to honker down for the frigid winter weather coming soon. This fall checklist will save you money as you maximize the efficiency of your home’s energy.
Exterior Fall Checklist for Your Home
Organize the garage. The garage may be in summer mode, so you will need to transition and prepared for winter. Clean out the garage, organize it and store away with things if you had out for summer.
Test your generator. The rainfall has already kicked off with hurricane Florence hitting the East Coast pretty hard. You want to test your generator through this working well for more storms hit and before the hard winter sets in.
Put away summer gear. If your backyard is like mine you got kiddie pools, toys, a few lawn tools and other gear spread all over the yard. It’s time to pick everything up and store it away for the winter. And don’t forget drain and store away your garden hoses.
Close the family swimming pool or hot tub. If you live in an area where it gets really cold you know that you will need to schedule to have a professional come and close your swimming pool for the winter. If you have the equipment and time, you can do it yourself.
Store away summer furniture. Any furniture that could possibly be damage by rainstorms, cold temperatures or snow, should be stored away.
Fertilize the lawn. You should check the garden center nearby or online to determine when the best time to fertilize your lawn would be. Next thing you need to know is what type of lawn fertilizer works best. Fertilizing the lawn is always good to do because it protects your grass from winter damage and it helps kill weeds that would sprout the following spring.
Cut grass & trim landscaping once more. It’s always tricky trying to figure out when the last time you need to cut your grass be. As long as it keeps growing to that unsightly point, it’s a good idea to do it. The weather will tell you soon enough when the last time will be before winter sets in. But you should go ahead and trim the bushes, flowers, and plants for the last time.
Check irrigation and sprinkler system. If you expect snow for the winter you may want to mark the sprinkler heads so you don’t damage them when you are removing snow. Your irrigation system may need to be drained out if you live in a colder climate area.
Clean your gutters and water drains. You need to break down leaves, twigs, nests, and any other debris that may be laying around in your gutters. With this also check the water drains to be sure that there is nothing obstructing them and to be sure that they’re directing water away from walkways, driveways and your foundation.
Clean out the fireplace and chimney. Fireplace is functioning well and that there is nothing obstructing the chimney so that when you get ready to light that first fire, you don’t flood your house with smoke.
Cover your air conditioner. Again, if he gets really cold where you live, you need to make sure you air conditioning unit for winter. When you stop using it, you should go ahead and cover it for the winter time to keep it safe.
Check your roof. It’s important to check your roof for loose, damaged, and missing shingles. This will cost you a lot of problems if the roof against a leak or you develop a pest problem. After all mice, rats, squirrels and other rodents like to hunker down for the winter in a warm place as well. Addicts make the perfect space for these creatures.
So, to ensure that children have openings on your roof where they, rain or snow might cause a problem. If you can see your roof from the ground then you should be good. If you cannot and it’s not safe for you to get on top of your roof because of height, then you should hire someone to check it for you.
Interior Fall Checklist for Your Home
Check your furnace. It’s important to check your furnace every year, and since you’ll be depending it to keep your home warm through the winter. It’s a good idea to call an HVAC service technician to come over and check this for you.
You’ll want to ensure there are no leaks coming from it, be sure your heating efficiency is good, and have the filter changed out. Carbon monoxide leaks are also a great reason to have your furnace professionally checked.
Reset the thermostat. Of course, you’ll need to adjust the thermostat as the weather gets cooler. If you like to use the automatic settings on your unit, this is a good time to change the settings.
Ready the humidifiers. As your house cools down in the frigid winter, fine wood is more likely to crack and dry winter weather is no good for your health. You should check your pads or plates and clean them out in vinegar or another recommended solution to remove mineral deposits. You’ll need to scrape these plates with a steel wool or wire brush to really get these deposits cleaned off.
Check home safety devices. Take a look at all your fire alarms and home security system to make sure the batteries
are good and they are working properly. The change of season provides a good clock to check on these items.
This fall checklist for your home will help you honker down for a cost efficient and cozier winter.
