Winter Prep Your Home With These 5 Necessary Steps

It might be the middle of the year but surely this is the best time to get your home ready for a cold spell with plenty of time to spare. A few early actions can save you money and prevent potentially dangerous situations. Here are five tips you can apply immediately to get your home ready for winter.

Get An Energy Audit

One of the fastest ways to find out what problem areas you should focus on is to hire a professional to perform an energy audit on your home. Energy auditors conduct tests on the exterior of your home and can alert you to any leaks in windows, doors, walls, and eaves.

The process usually takes between 30 minutes and a few hours, depending on the square footage of your home. If you can’t afford to hire an energy auditor, consider purchasing a thermal leak detector to help you quickly determine which areas need immediate attention.

Once you’ve discovered your weak spots, caulk all windows and doors, check your furnace, replace the filters and arrange for a furnace repair engineer if necessary, and add extra insulation if necessary. If you prefer to have a higher level of protection, purchase storm doors and windows to save even more on your heating and electric bills.

Check Your Roof For Leaks

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Constant exposure to the sun, heavy rains, snowstorms, and high winds take a toll on your roof. The impacts may not be noticeable, but your roof is vulnerable to aging, vegetation growth, debris, and weathering.

You can hire a professional to do the inspection or do it yourself. While you’re up there, you’ll want to clean out your gutters and the chimney too. The fall is the best season to do any roof repairs as it’s not too hot, and you can replace shingles relatively easily.

Performing an inspection in the fall lets you find issues ahead of time so you won’t have to deal with big problems in the future.

Prepare For Hazardous Conditions Beforehand

The fall is the perfect time to take inventory of the tools in your arsenal. If you live in an area that sees a lot of snow, check the condition of your snowblower and show shovels. Stock up on sand or salt to prevent your driveway, porch, patio, and sidewalks from icing over. Now’s also a good time to check the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide sensors, replacing them as needed.

Make Your Interior Cozier For The Winter

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Just because it’s cold and dreary outside doesn’t mean the inside of your home needs to be dull and drab. You and your loved ones will be spending more time indoors, and everyone will be much happier in a warm and cozy environment.

An upgraded fireplace is the perfect solution for those bitter cold nights. Liven things up by purchasing some shag rugs for a cozy atmosphere that will make your home stand out. Throw some creative centerpieces on your tabletops and add some seasonal scents, and you’ll be good to go.

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Set The Atmosphere Inside Your Home

A surefire way to step up the liveliness of your home is to purchase some easy-to-care-for indoor plants and spruce up the color scheme throughout the house. A few colorful accents and some comfy throw pillows will work wonders.

In winter, the furnace and space heaters put out dry heat that can dry out nasal passages, so purchase a humidifier to keep everyone comfortable. To make your home even cozier, consider upgrading your curtains and using softer lighting. Once you’ve got the atmosphere right, throw some cookies in the oven for the final holiday touch.

With the tips shared in this post, you can make your home a winter haven for loved ones, family, and friends. Have some fun, and stay warm!

About The Author

Katie Tejada is a writer, editor, and former HR professional. She enjoys writing about events, travel, decorating trends, and innovations for the home, but also covers developments in HR, business communication, recruiting, real estate, finance, and investing.