Do all of these before the winter starts!

Taking care of a few aspects before the first snow falls is crucial if you want to keep your house and yard in the best shape for as long as possible. This process also has a name, and that is winterizing the house.

But what does this mean more exactly? Well, it is all about the actions you can take so nothing gets destroyed by the cold weather and preparing the yard for winter. Snow and ice can be incredibly damaging, and we want to avoid potential destruction.

Hopefully, there are many things you can do to protect your house and yard. Some of them are well-known things that anyone is doing every late fall, but others are not that intuitive. Sometimes they even require professional help.

If you don’t want to have to deal with problems during the winter, it’s better to be prepared for these things when the time comes. Postponing them is not a good idea, and this is why we want to help you by presenting you with a quick checklist.

Read on and learn more about how to prepare your house for winter the proper way!

Check the outdoor faucets

Closing and draining outdoor faucets is a step you can’t miss. If you forget about this step, leaks, freezing, cracking, or bursting can destroy your outdoor faucets and any hoses, spray nozzles, or other accessories you have attached to them.

First of all, you should remove any accessories and make sure you have drained any water from them. After this, store them in a dry, protected space like a garage, basement, or shed.

The second step is to find your home’s isolation valves. Generally, houses have isolation valves, and they are responsible for controlling the water supply for all of your outdoor faucets. It should be easy to find them because they are typically located near where the outdoor faucet pipe enters your home. Once you find them, make sure to shut them off.

The last step would be to drain the outdoor faucets. This will allow the remaining water to drain completely. A good idea would be to leave the outdoor faucets open in the winter because this reduces the risk of pressure buildup and pipe damage.

Clean the downspouts and the gutters

This is a very important thing you should do before winter starts. When debris, like leaves and twigs, clogs the gutters and downspouts, these blockages can trap ice and create ice dams that can be dangerous.

Besides the potential damage ice dams can do when they fall, they also prevent water from flowing and can lead to major issues like roof leaks, attic damage, and foundation seepage. When the water has nowhere to go, it will pool in the gutters or overflow seeping under shingles and into the roof structure.

Even more, if the ice dams that form are large, they put a lot of weight on the gutters, and they are not designed to support the additional stress. This means you can end up with bent gutters, and taking care of them later might be costly.

But you can avoid all of this by simply cleaning your gutter before winter starts. Make sure to pay special attention to spots where leaves or branches tend to collect, and you are good to go.

Seal those cracks

Nobody wants to stay inside their home after they try to keep it warm and suddenly feel the draft. But this is what happens if you don’t seal the cracks around windows and doors before winter. This is an important step because this is a good way to keep the heat inside and also don’t allow the cold air to enter.

Unsealed areas can let in drafts that make rooms feel colder, forcing your heating system to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature. This means that more energy will be consumed, and this will be reflected in your bills. We know you don’t want that to happen, and this is why it is very important to never forget about this.

Start by inspecting every window and door to see if there are any visible cracks. You can easily check for drafts by holding your hand near the frames; if you feel cold air coming through, sealing is needed.

If you want to seal the crack fast, the most effective thing you can do is use caulk. You will apply it to window and door frames. It is important to pick a weatherproof, paintable caulk designed for exterior use because this is the best one when you want it to be durable and be able to endure the cold of the winter.

In case you want even more insulation, you can also install weatherstripping around door edges.

Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

Whether it is winter or any other season, your home needs to be safe, and a good way to do that is to check if the items that keep it safe are working properly. This is why testing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is mandatory, and no homeowner should skip it.

Whether it is winter or any other season, your home needs to be safe, and a good way to do that is to check if the systems that keep it safe are working properly. This is why testing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is mandatory, and no homeowner should skip it. Just in 2022, 624 people in the US died from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, according to provisional CDC data.

The same goes for smoke detectors. In case a fire starts, you will know early about it and you can take action. During the winter, especially between November and March, the number of house fires in the US is higher than in any other season. The increased use of heating equipment, such as fireplaces, space heaters, and furnaces, is the main cause of this, and a good smoke detector can help you protect your home.

Protect outdoor furniture and appliances

Weather could be harsh on your outdoor furniture and appliances, and if you want to still have them for years to come, the best thing you can do is to take care of them. It’s true that there is patio furniture out there designed to withstand winter weather. That one you can leave outside. But what about the rest?

The first option would be to use a weather-resistant cover that is able to shield them from the damaging effects of snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. Most of the time, this will protect them from cracking, rust, and fading. To offer optimal protection, use covers that fit tightly and are made of long-lasting materials such as heavy-duty polyester or vinyl.

This is a method that could work, but in reality, the optimal solution would be to store any furniture and appliances inside. Items like patio chairs, tables, and grills should be moved into a shed or something similar because this will seriously extend their lives and you won’t need to perform any repairs in the spring.

If you need covers for your faucets, you should try these: Outdoor Faucet Cover for Winter Freeze Protection,7.8″ H x 6.2″ W, Thickened AntiFrozen Waterproof Outdoor Faucet Protector

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