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With fall just around the corner on the 22nd of September, there are several things we need to do to our homes to prepare for what comes with the season, and not just stocking up on fall scented candles and diffusers. Here are 5 tips on what you could do to prepare your home for fall.
1. Clean/Fix/Replace Your Gutters
Your gutters require consistent maintenance throughout their lifetime. Even though we are used to them doing what they’re supposed to do, which is to keep water from pooling on the roof and around our house. However over time, things can happen; they can clog, break, or become damaged, which if it not taken care of can lead to water damage to either the interior or exterior of the house.
2. Cover or bring in outdoor furniture
Yes, “outdoor” is in the name, but that doesn’t mean the furniture is immune to the elements. Leaving your patio furniture exposed long term to a wet fall and cold snowy winters can damage the furniture. And nobody likes sitting on rusted squeaky furniture and soggy cushions. Plus furniture can be expensive, and that’s why we want to protect it, so it stays around for longer, and we get more summer uses out of it.
3. Check For Drafts
Drafty doors, lower levels, and windows can rack up the energy and heating bill, not to mention making the interior of a home colder than you want. You can check for a draft by simply holding a flame up to the area, and if the flame flickers, there’s most likely a draft. You can fix a draft by replacing the weather stripping, and caulking of the areas. For older homes, a heavier curtain or drape would work well.
4. Get a Compost Bin
Every year the leaves on the trees turn into beautiful shades of orange, red, and yellow only to eventually fall to the ground. Leaving homeowners to rake, blow, or vacuum them up and depending on the number of trees are in your yard; could be a simple low maintenance task or burdensome, then there’s the disposal of the leaves. Instead of risking property damage by burning the leaves, or wasting trash bags to throw the leaves away, try out composting! Composting allows fast and easy disposal of the leaves, and come spring is a good fertilizer for flower beds.
5. Bring in the light
As we move closer to winter from fall, days get shorter and nights get longer. To reduce seasonal depression, accentuate the natural lighting you have available in your home. You can do this by cleaning the windows and blinds throughout the house, especially in the rooms that get the most sunlight. Add lighting to areas that are darker with lamps or other forms of light, and change incandescent bulbs to white light bulbs to generate the look and feel of natural lighting, be sure to save and store the replaced bulbs to change them out again come spring.