Although it might feel like 40 degrees Centigrade outside, 104 degrees Fahrenheit, there are places on the planet where people are quite cold right now. The eternal changing of seasons means that your home will be hit by a cold wave sooner or later.
For this reason, winterizing your home is something you precisely do when it’s not too cold outside, in summer or in autumn. There are numerous steps you can take to prepare your home for winter but we have hand-selected the top X so you will be ready for the period when the air temperature drops below zero outside.
Cleaning the gutters
One of the biggest characteristics of the winter season is snow. It is a great source of fun for the kids but your household stands more to lose than benefit from it. Namely, if temperatures soar outside and the snow melts quickly, it can cause a real deluge on top of your home. If there is any type of a clog inside the gutters, then water might overfill and pour outside or it can bring the whole gutter system down if it’s improperly anchored.
Even when the temperature plummets and you can smell the upcoming snowfall in the air, it is not too late to clean the gutters. A half-an-hour chore will clear your gutters of any fallen leaves and branches that would otherwise create a natural damn to all that thawing snow.
The importance of watertight flashings
Staying on the topic of the roof, there are other things you can do while you’re up there cleaning the gutters. Namely, check the tiles for any damage or even missing shingles. Furthermore, inspect the flashings carefully because they are the weakest spots on your roof and if the cold weather is going to take its toll, it’s going to be here. Unless you inspect the roof before the first snow, you risk extensive water damage to your house’s interior.
Cleaning and caulking the bathroom tiles
The winter season not only means that the weather conditions will worsen but that anything that’s wet inside the house will dry more slowly. We are mainly referring to the bathroom that will not dry as fast as it normally would after a steamy shower. The tiles and the caulk between will not get a proper chance to dry because of all the moisture in the air so mildew and mold will start appearing. There are detrimental to human health when inhaled so you need to act immediately
In this case, cleanliness is the best line of defense. Take a brush and an abrasive cleaner and start scrubbing the tiles and the space between them to remove all trace of microorganisms. If you see cracks or ruptures appearing, get a caulk gun and start sealing those spots off after you have thoroughly cleaned them.
Finally, don’t forget to check the air vents in the bathroom. They are essential when it comes to bringing fresh air inside a room that offers doesn’t have any windows. Like the roof gutters, the vents can also get jammed or even a bird can create a nest on their exterior part.
Good insulation is essential
Just like you don’t want to crank up the AC unit in summer, you do not wish to increase the heating in winter either. The trick to lowering your electricity bill is excellent insulation. We are not solely referring to the walls of the house but the roof and the floors as well. They too need some sort of insulation; if nothing else, you can lay a carpet in the living room.
Even after properly insulating your house, there is still a high probability you feel a breeze inside the house. Faulty seals at windows and doors let cold air in and warm air escape. The same problem persists in summer as well, when it is impossible to cool the house from the inside because the door is letting the heated air inside.
Apart from improving the caulking of the doors and windows, you should invest in door furniture so it shuts tight. A bad lock or a loose door frame are all possible reasons why you can never warm up or cool down the house regardless of how much energy you spend, i.e. waste.
Lending Santa a helping hand
If Santa Claus didn’t come to your house this year, then you have probably been bad … or he couldn’t pass through the chimney. Joking set aside, your chimney needs cleaning. Not only is it full of dust and ash from last year but all sorts of items could have lodged inside it during the months of disuse.
The cleaning process is fairly easy, as all you need is a broom or a brush with a long handle to push it up the stock to clean the interior walls of the chimney. If the chimney is still returning smoke through the fireplace inside the house, then you should call a chimney sweeper to help resolve the issue from above.
Eliminating fire hazards
If you thought that residential water damage is bad, a house fire can leave you homeless in a matter of minutes. That’s why the pre-winter period is ideal for checking the state of your smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, etc. Generating warmth in winter is a potential fire hazard so you should ion the lookout for any possible problems
You should take special notice of the wiring inside the house as it is one of the most common sources of house fires. Also, don’t cover the heating body with a cloth as it can easily catch on fire and see if you have turned the microwave and other appliances before leaving the house. You want this winter to turn out cozy and warm inside your home and see it go up in flames.
We hope that our pieces of advice will help you winterize your home this year. It’s not all about creating the right atmosphere but you need to stay safe during winter because every household problem that occurs is so much hard to solve in the bitter cold outside.
Sarah Jessica Smith is a young blogger from Sydney. She is in love with life and all the things that can make her daily routine easier. She loves to write about home improvement, lifestyle, and all the small things that make life such a great adventure.