How to Prepare Your Home for Winter
Winter is Coming: Preparing Your Home For the Winter Months
Summer is officially over and while our fond memories of water fights and roasting marshmallows over a campfire are still fresh in our minds, winter is just around the corner. It’s time to start preparing your family, and especially your house for those cold winter months ahead. Getting your house ready for winter saves you time and money and is a great way to make sure that your house is always in peak condition should it come time to sell down the road. If you let too many problems like roof leaks and clogged gutters go over time then you could be in for huge repair bills down the road and less value out of your home when it’s time to sell. So, let’s look at some easy (and cheap) ways you can winterize your home this fall.
Outside Priorities: Sprinklers and Pipes
Make sure you get your sprinklers blown out and outdoor pipes inspected for good measure. If you wait too long to get your sprinkler pipes cleared out it could lead to cracking or split pipes next year and you may have to replace your entire sprinkler system. Make sure all of your hoses and watering tools are rolled up and drained and stored in your shed or garage. It’s not a bad idea to turn off water to your outside spigots from the central source as well. Make sure that you inspect them for leaks or rusty faucets.
Mulch Instead of Rake
Mulching your leaves in your lawn is all the rage this year. This tip can save you money and back pain from hours of raking this fall. The next time you mow, before putting the mower away for the year, you should attach a mulch blade to your mower. They can usually be purchased for less than $30. Mulching the leaves helps insulate your grass from the harsh winter air and serves as an organic matter feeding system that can help provide valuable nutrients to your lawn during the winter season.
Mower Stower
Speaking of lawn mowers, you’ll want to drain your mower of any gasoline before you put it away for the winter. Letting old gas sit there for months on end is a good way to put extra stress on your engine’s carburetor and fuel lines. Or, you can buy some fuel stabilizer to add to your tank that will help keep your gasoline from deteriorating during extended storage times. The fall and winter is also a great time to take your mower in for regular maintenance and get your blades sharpened so they are fresh and ready to go in the spring!
Gutter Shutter
The fall is the best time to clear out the gunk in your gutters. Clean gutters can help prevent dangerous ice dams and helps snow melt and drain properly from your roof so that you can keep your roof free from damage due to ice and snow buildup. Cleaning your gutters can be a quick and easy task if you do it before everything freezes! Make sure that your gutter drains are also running properly. If they clog then it can send dangerous water over your walkways that will instantly turn to ice.
With these easy tips you can start getting your house ready for winter today and you will be able to worry more about when your next hot cocoa will be ready and less about wintery disasters in your pipes and roof. Stay frosty, people!