If you live in a part of the country where winter storms roll through during the first couple of months of the year, winterizing your house should be a priority.
Winterizing your home isn’t as difficult or expensive as you might think.
You can hire a professional to help, or you can use this checklist to make sure your house is ready for winter weather.
Winterize Your House With These Quick Tips
1: Do An Exterior Inspection
Weather conditions cause wear and tear on the exterior of your home over time. Some of the damage might not be obvious, so walk around your house to look for these potential problems:
- Cracks and entry points around pipes and wires
- Weatherstripping condition
- Window cracks, including basement windows
- Poor seals around windows and doors
- Gutter and downspout problems
- Roof condition issues
This is a good time to change your window screens and install storm doors and windows.
Rake leaves and debris away from your foundation, and seal any entry points where small animals might get into your house.
To prevent pipes from freezing, drain your garden hoses, insulate exposed pipes, and drain your air conditioning pipes.
2: Go Through Your Interior Maintenance Checklist
During cold weather, your HVAC system is going to be under more stress. Make sure you’re ready for winter weather by checking the following off your list:
- Get your furnace inspected
- Clean your ducts
- Change air filters
- Remove flammable materials from around your furnace
- If you use fireplaces, make sure they’re ready for use
- Check your smoke detector batteries
- Check or install carbon monoxide detectors
It’s also a good idea to check your first aid kits and prep a winter emergency kit in case of power failure. Prepare for power outages with canned food, extra blankets, and alternate heat sources.
3: Prepare Your Equipment
Your summer lawn maintenance equipment is stored away, and it’s time to make sure your winter essentials are in good working order.
Make sure you have salt, snow shovels, and sand on hand.
Check the condition of your ice choppers and shovels, and replace anything that’s looking a little worn. You don’t want to try to buy that stuff at the last minute when it starts snowing.
If you have a generator, make sure you get gas for it before storms hit, and never run a generator inside.
Getting ready for winter weather isn’t difficult at all – with a little forethought, the rest of your winter will be smooth sailing, even if icy conditions hit.
