Get Your Home Ready For Winter | Stephanie K. Real Estate

This winter’s forecast promises a lot of cold and snow so make sure your home is all set for a winter wonderland!

1. Get out the Ladder.

Clear out any leaves, branches, or debris from the gutter. Examine your roof and repair any roof, shingle or chimney damage.

2. Clean the Fireplace and Chimney.

Before you light the fireplace this Winter, make sure it’s clean and ready to go. Your fireplace & chimney should be cleaned and inspected every 50 burns to ensure that it’s ready to be used. On that note, check your smoke detectors as well.

3. Put the Air Conditioner to rest.

Create a short cover for the top of your home AC unit to protect the unit from leaves and debris while leaving the bottom of the unit to air out.

4. Lawn & Garden Care.

Before the snow covers it make sure to fertilize your lawn and plant bulbs for Spring-blooming flowers. Some popular bulbs include the tulip, iris, daffodil, hyacinth and lily

5. Shut-off and drain outside faucets.

The faucets you use outside in the summer to wash your car, soak your garden and hose down your kids are susceptible to freezing. Don’t forget to blow out the lines if you have a sprinkler system as well. If proper care is not taken to shut-off and drain these lines before winter, it can lead to pipes and faucets bursting or cracking and can create a huge, potentially expensive, disaster.

6. Furnace Check-up.

Clean and Replace your furnace filters. Filters are rated using the MERV system, or “Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value”. The higher the MERV rating the more particles the filter will remove from the air. Give a good vacuum to the furnace room and floor and air intake vents. If it has been a while, or you have pets, you may want to have your ducts professionally cleaned.

7. Store or Secure your Patio Furniture.

Cover your patio furniture or stow it away for the season. Dry it off before you cover!

8. Prepare for snow removal.

Dig out the snowblower and fire it up before the big one hits. Make sure it’s ready for that snowy morning. If it’s not, then get it repaired now. Also take inventory of your salt and shovel situation. You know you won’t be able to find a shovel after the big snowstorm hits.

9. Pad exposed pipes in unheated areas.

Pad exposed pipes in unheated areas. This is an easy and inexpensive method to help prevent water damage resulting from a frozen pipe. Even the smallest of pipes can cause a lot of damage. Pipes in the basement, attic or crawl space are some examples of pipes you may want to cover.

10. Defrost your freezer while it’s freezing.

The silver lining to frigid temps? It is the perfect time to defrost your freezer Empty your freezer and defrost it fully, melting any icy build-up. Do an audit of what’s in there – certain products lose texture and flavour over time, so chuck out anything that’s been in there over a year (less time for leftovers, ground meats and chicken).