Quick Tips to Prepare Your Home for Fall

It’s September! School is back in session and autumn is on its way. While many of us enjoy the cooler temperatures and beauty of the leaves changing colors, the arrival of autumn means that the cold, dark winter is not far behind.

Every season brings its own home maintenance projects.  Most of us focus on our home’s exterior, lawn, and garden in the summer. Fall means we’ll be spending more time inside, so it’s a good time to focus on indoor projects.

Below are a few routine household tasks to tackle this fall:

Clean your gutters. Keep the gutters clear of leaves and other debris.
    

 Have your heating system cleaned. Schedule an appointment with a reputable technician to service your oil burner or furnace. This is also a good time to clear out any soot or buildup in your fireplace, or hire a chimney sweep to do a thorough cleaning.

Secure windows and doors. Seal any gaps or cracks around your windows and doors with weather stripping and caulking. Air coming in through those cracks create annoying drafts; air seeping out means higher energy bills.

Inspect your roof.  Check for loose shingles, cracks, leaks, or other issues. A small problem can get big very quickly when snow and ice pile up on it in the winter.

        

Put a fire escape plan in place.  Check the battery in your smoke alarm or CO detector (most experts recommend doing this when you change your clocks, but it’s never too early!), make sure you have working fire extinguishers in your kitchen, and try to rid your home of any potential fire hazards.

How do you prepare your home for fall and the cooler weather? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!