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FREEZE! 'Tis the Season to Make Sure Your Home is Ready for Winter!

FREEZE! 'Tis the Season to Make Sure Your Home is Ready for Winter!

While Mother Nature has been a bit unseasonably kind this fall, we know that winter’s cold, snowy conditions cannot be far behind. So, if you haven’t prepped your home for what weather is surely coming, it is time to take advantage of the mild days we have left!

Here are 10 ways to make sure your home is prepped and ready for winter:

1. Besides the fact that you may have a hard time explaining how the jolly man in the red suit was able to fit down your filthy chimney this holiday season, allowing burnt leftovers to build up in your chimney is dangerous! Have your chimney professionally cleaned and inspected before you plan to put it to regular use this year.

The same goes for your furnace, if that is how you heat your home. Call in an HVAC professional to make sure your furnace is in tip-top shape. A great place to start is the filter. Replace it monthly to help your furnace run more efficiently.

2. Once you’re sure the heat is flowing through your home, keep it that way by reversing the direction of your ceiling fans. In summer months, fans run counter-clockwise to draw warm air up. Allowing your fans to run in a clockwise motion will force the warm air down to you in winter.

3. Up on the rooftop is not just a favorite seasonal song; it is also another place where heat can escape your home. Either climb up there or hire a professional to look for missing shingles or other problem areas that may allow heat to escape or wetness to seep in.

4. While you’re up there, make sure to clean out your gutters. We all love fall foliage, but all of those brightly-colored leaves can wreak havoc on your gutters. Cleaning them out will allow melting snow and ice to flow freely away from your home.

5. If you’re feeling a draft in your home and you know you don’t have any open windows, it is definitely time to check the windows and doors for any excess space that may be letting the cold air in. Caulking around windows and doors will prevent winter’s chill from settling into your home.

6. Don’t put the caulking gun away before you’ve checked your pipes, vents and any other possible holes in your walls, floors and ceilings. Cold air can find a way to sneak in almost anywhere, so making sure these spaces are tightly-covered is another great way to politely ask Mother Nature to stay outside!

7. Secured your interior pipes? Don’t forget those that are outside. Prevent them from freezing by draining them and disconnecting the garden hose. If you have an outdoor irrigation system, make sure to drain it as well.

8. Once you’ve got the exterior covered, consider adding some insulation to your attic. It is only natural for warm air to rise, so trap it in by creating an extra barrier of warmth before it has the chance to escape.

9. Just when you thought your winter home preparations were complete… there is another very important thing to do before you begin blasting hot air to heat your home. Check the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors! If you’re not checking them with the changing seasons or even more frequently, it’s time to start.

10. Finally, a bonus tip. Once you’ve properly prepped your home for winter weather, reward yourself and have some fun with your décor! Make your home feel like new just by rearranging the furniture a bit. It will give your home a fresh feeling, so cabin fever in cold weather won’t stand a chance.