As winter gets closer, there are things that you should begin to consider for both the inside and outside of your home to not only protect it but also to maintain your safety, and give you comfort through the colder winter months. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for winter on the inside your home.
Keeping it Warm
The first things we think about as winter gets closer is usually has to do with keeping it warm. A couple of preventative things that we can do to ensure both warmth and safety indoors are to assess our furnaces, fireplaces, windows/doors and smoke detectors:
- Furnaces - annual furnace inspections will help keep your furnace in good repair and help it to last longer. Cleaning or replacing furnace filters on a regular basis during the operating months will also keep your furnace operating efficiently and reduce your heating costs. The standard filters that are 1 inch thick should be replaced every three months, while the 4 inch thick filters can be replaced every 6 months.
- Fireplaces - annual cleanings should be performed by a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote buildup to prevent chimney fires. As winter approaches it is also a good time to make sure that woodpiles are sufficiently stocked for the winter months with well-seasoned dry wood. It is obvious that woodpiles should be placed in a dry location, but also should not be placed up against your house or outbuilding because this creates a conducive environment for the nesting of wood-eating insects, such as termites.
- Window and Doors – inspect windows and replace cracked windows, check for and seal air leaks around doors and windows. This will not only make the winter months more comfortable, but will lower the heating costs of your home as well. A quick and relatively easy method of sealing leaks around windows is by using a removable caulking product which can be for easily removed to restore the functionality of windows with when warm weather returns in the spring.
- Smoke Detectors – this always seems like the hardest to remember, a good way to remember is to change the batteries at either of the daylight savings time changes, you can use this time to change them in your smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors as well as check the expire dates on your in home fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishers generally have a lifespan of about 10 years, whereas smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors have a lifespan generally ranging from 2 to 5 years.
Hope these tips prove helpful to you in preparing for winter on the inside of your home. You'll find that staging tips can also be useful in organizingyour home as well.
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