Winterize Your House This Autumn. Everyone has heard about spring cleaning, but hardly any people know what it means to winterize your home. When fall arrives you need to inspect your home’s readiness for the upcoming winter.
Autumn means winter season is around the corner, and you should use the opportunity to make sure that your house is ready for it. At this particular time of year, with the leaves dying out, examining the house is easier, so you can tell if any shrubs are hanging onto the house. Siding is easily damaged by roots and vines that cling to the surface area – even bricks aren’t immune – and they should be cleaned off.
Once 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 exterior faucets should be turned off, in order that they can drain and get dry. Get the outdoor furniture cleaned up and stored in a place dry, once you are done using it till the following year.
You should protect any young trees you have with mulch, particularly in their first year of growth. To help protect against your yard from starting to be sodden if heavy rains occur, make sure that any drainage ditches are clear.
Winter naturally leads one’s thoughts to fireplaces. Almost everyone calls for a chimney sweep at the same time when a frigid spell shows up, so call early to beat the rush. If you use firewood, do not delay in finding someone and getting a good supply built up. When traveling around rural areas, you will discover local people who sell fire wood, without lots of advertising.
No matter if you use a fireplace in winter, you should check all of your smoke alarms to make sure they are working. If you leave your Christmas lights set up for the whole year, check that the cords remain flexible. If you are using storm windows, they should be set up. You must check if the weather-stripping has become dried out from the summer’s heat and should be replaced.
The windows are usually hardly ever opened in winter, therefore it is necessary to check the condition of the filters in the range hood.
Water leaks can’t be kept from happening forever, so check the places where leaks most commonly occur, these being the roofing, the guttering, the downpipes and the interior plumbing.
You should search for leaks, the most at risk places being the roof, gutters, down-pipes and inside plumbing. If you locate some leaks, you should obviously get them repaired. You need to cover the air-conditioning machines to prevent drafts, while, particularly with older homes, it is worth cladding the exterior pipes. It’s a wise decision to shampoo the carpets and rugs, since dust is more noticeable in the winter. While you’re at it, you might also thoroughly clean the windows.
Check your homes chimney if you have one. Look for cracks in mortar and brick which should be sealed with caulking or similar material prior to winter. If you have just bought your home you may require a WETT inspection by your insurance company. We recommend using Barrie WETT Inspection Services