Now that the cold weather has come, it’s time to start turning our attention to making sure we stay warm this winter. Before the snow hits, we always like to make the rounds through our house, fixing things up and ensuring that everything’s in place. That way, we don’t have to do DIY housework to fix air leaks and cold weather related problems once the snow comes and the temperature drops even further!
Just in case you could use some guidance in what to prepare and how to make sure your house is in good shape, here are 15 helpful tips and tricks that we always make sure to check for each year.
1. Consider and repair air leaks around widows
When the winter wind blows, there’s nothing worse than a cold chill seeping in around your windows. Check out how
2. Clean and store rain barrels
Rain barrels are a great, environmentally friendly idea in the summer, but come winter they’ll just freeze if there’s anything leftover in them!
3. Add extra insulation in the attic
If you’re feeling very handy and up for a challenge, putting some additional insulation in the attic can help keep your house a little warmer all round.
4. Prepare your fireplace against drafts
In our house, we have a stunning fireplace that is mostly decorative rather than functional. We adore having it, but we can’t stand the way cold drafts make their way down and out through the grate in the winter. That’s why we followed
5. Create winter thermostat schedules
It might sound dull, but creating a regular schedule on which your family can adjust the temperature on your thermostat can make a huge different in winter bills. It also saves energy, making your winter habits a little more eco-friendly. Get more information on which schedules are best for your type of house on
6. Ask a neighbour to stop by if you go on vacation
We’re no strangers to winter travel but, based on bad past experiences, we always have a bit of trepidation about leaving our house unattended in harsh weather and extreme temperatures. That’s why we take
7. Insulate your pipes with foam
If you’ve ever witnessed the trouble that’s cause when the pipes in a house freeze, then you’ll already be familiar with how important this next tip is! To keep the water inside flowing so nothing bursts, despite extremely cold temperatures, try insulating them with foam tubing, just like
8. Collect and chop firewood in advance
Do you have an awesome fireplace or wood burning stove that you love using in the winter? Then we’d definitely suggest taking a look at
9. Change your air filters
Changing your air filters is a great task to keep up with regularly anyways, but its especially important before winter comes. Because you have to keep the house so closed off all winter to keep warm air in, things can get stuffy and dirty vent filters only increase poor air circulation, which can lead to allergens and germs. Here’s a guide from
10. Consider electric heaters
Do you live in a place that doesn’t tend to heat up very well no matter how high you turn the heat but you’re hesitant to install a fireplace or anything involving gas and fire? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how
11. Consider a diffuser or air humidifier
Have you ever woken up in the winter and realized that the air is so sapped of moisture that your mouth, nose, and skin feel dry and kind of parched? We know that feeling well thanks to the climate where we live, so we always make sure to turn our air humidifier on at night! Get the low down on how useful these are from
12. Clean the gutters before the snow comes
This one might seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to get, and how many people do every year! Cleaning the fall leaves out of your gutters and rain troughs before the snow comes helps avoid blockages and flooding in the spring when all the snow starts to melt.
13. Test your smoke alarm
We’ll admit that this isn’t necessarily a winter specific home task but since you’re supposed to check your smoke detectors regularly throughout the year, now is as good a time as any to make it part of your home improvement routine!
14. Aerate and apply winter fertilizer to your lawn
Have you looked out your window after winter in past seasons and lamented the dried, brittle state of your brown post-snow lawn? Then we think you’ll do well taking a look at how
15. Stock up canned food for emergency weather
Where we live, extremely large amounts of snow fall each year. In fact, we’re no strangers to being snowed in for days at a time thanks to how quickly the snow piles up during storms. That’s why we always make sure to take
Do you have a few more tips for preparing a house very well for winter and they’re things you always make sure to do each year, but you don’t see those things on our list? Tell us all about them or link us to photos and instructions in the comments section so we can all prepare as thoroughly as possible!
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