5 Easy Tips to Prepare Your Home for Winter Now

Taking a few minutes each weekend this fall to make sure your home is winter-ready will save you hours of annoyance once the temperatures drop.  These simple tips will keep your home cozy and warm all season long.

1. Draft-proof your exterior doors.

Check for any loose seams or woodwork and add caulking or wood putty to create a tight seal. Nail a draft guard at the bottom of your doors to keep cold air out.  For truly drafty doors, consider hanging a thermal curtain in front of it to provide extra warmth.

2. Get your furnace serviced.

Call your oil company and schedule a service visit for your furnace to make sure everything is in good working order.  If you have forced-air heating, now is the time to change the furnace filter, too.

3. Clean out the gutters.  

Clear all gutters of leaves and other debris to ensure proper drainage for snow melt and rain during the winter season.  Position all drains so that they point away from the foundation to prevent flooding.

4. Replace batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.  

Keep your home safe this winter with working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.  Use the changing seasons as a reminder to replace those batteries twice per year.

5. Put the ice scraper in your car and make sure the snow shovels are easy to reach.

Dig out your winter tools- don’t wait for the first cold snap to remind you.  No one wants to trudge through 2 feet of snow looking for the shovel to clear a path.  Buy some ice melt now, too.  

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