Top 30 Tips To Get Your Home Ready For Winter!
Winter is just around the corner and in some places has already arrived.
PuroClean is proud to serve consumers and business owners in the Philadelphia and Southern NJ areas. One of our goals is to educate and inform our visitors about mold, fire, water, bio-hazard, and other indoor air quality issues. Education is valuable and that is the mission of our blog.
With the spirit of education in mind, listed below are 30 tips to get your home ready for winter PLUS 10 energy saving tips.
If you need help or have any questions about these tips, we look forward to serving you. Call 877-750-7876 or send us an e-mail.
The team at PuroClean wishes you a safe and happy holidays! We look forward to serving you in 2018! 🙂
7 Tips To Get Your Lawn, Garden, and Deck Ready For Winter
- To prevent prevent iced-over or wind-swept branches from causing property damage or power issues trim overgrown branches.
- Ensure rain and snow drains away from the house to avoid foundation problems to prevent future water damage issues.
- Clean, dry, and cover patio furniture with a tarp or store in a shed or garage to prevent water damage and rusting. In addition, clean soil from planters; store fragile pots made from clay indoors or a plastic tote.
- Remove all attached hoses to prevent cracks and store them in a garage or shed.
- Shut off exterior faucets and cover them. Also, be sure to drain water from outdoor pipes, valves, and sprinkler heads to protect against pipe bursts. Sprinklers should be blown out by a professional as well.
- To prevent future mold and mildew growth, clean between the boards of wooden decks. Also, inspect decks for splintering, decay, and damage and get it treated to prevent further damage over the winter.
- To prevent accidents inspect exterior handrails on stairs to make sure they are well secured and make sure that outdoor lighting is working properly so icy walkways are visible at night.
3 Tips To Get Your Tools and Machinery Ready For Winter
- Clean your lawnmower and other seasonal tools and store inside your shed or garage. To prevent rust, you may want to spray tools with a lightweight oil, like Pam.
- For efficient snow clean up, get your snow blower tuned up and make sure your ice breaking tools are sharp and snow shovels are on hand.
- Since hardware stores usually run out of ice melt or salt during periods of heavy snow fall, plan ahead and store some bags in your shed or garage so you have it on hand.
5 Tips To Get Your Gutters, Roof, and Drains Ready For Winter
- Inspect your roof for missing, damaged, or warped shingles and have any issues fixed to prevent future leaks that could result in hidden mold issues.
- Check for deteriorated flashing at the chimney, walls, and skylights and around vent pipes. Seal joints where water could penetrate, using roofing cement and a caulking gun.
- Inspect your gutters and clean any debris out. Since the weight of snow and ice can pull gutters off the house, make sure they are fastened securely. Also, make sure downspouts extend away from the house by at least 5 feet to prevent flooding of the foundation and future water damage from the spring snow melt.
- Rake up leaves and debris from the yard and pool storm drains to prevent blockages.
- Check all vents and openings and make sure they are covered to prevent insects, birds, and rodents from getting inside.
3 Tips To Get Your Windows and Doors Ready For Winter
- To prevent heat loss, condensation, and frost build up, inspect all weather stripping around the windows and door frames for leaks. Fix any issues.
- Inspect windows for cracks, broken glass, and/or gaps; replace or repair if problems are found. During this inspection, also check window frames for signs of rot, decay, and mold. If you find mold, and think the mold is also growing behind the walls, contact a mold inspector.
- Check for drafts around windows and doors. Caulk inside and out, where necessary, to keep heat from escaping.
12 Tips To Get Your Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Ready For Winter
- Inspect the firebox and flue system to ensure that they’re clean of any soot or creosote and that there aren’t any cracks that could cause a fire hazard.
- Check fireplace for drafts. If it’s cold despite the damper being closed, the damper itself may be warped, worn, or rusted. Consider installing a chimney balloon into the flue to air seal the area tightly. Check to see where the chimney is vented into as well.
- Clean or replace the air filter in your furnace for maximum efficiency and improved indoor air quality. The filter should be replaced every month for best efficiency.
- Clean any humidifiers and replace the evaporator pad.
- Bleed valves on any hot-water radiators to increase heating efficiency by releasing air that may be trapped inside.
- Check that smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. Replace the batteries regularly!
- Remove air conditioners from windows or cover them with insulated liners, to prevent drafts. You should also clean them and drain any water inside of them to prevent future mold growth issues.
- Install foam-insulating sheets behind outlets and switch plates on exterior walls to reduce outside airflow.
- Make sure fans are switched to the reverse or clockwise position, which will blow warm air down to the floor for enhanced energy efficiency and comfort. This is also important in the bathrooms to make sure the fans are working properly to reduce condensation.
- Flush the hot water heater tank to remove sediment, and check the pressure relief valve to make sure its in proper working order.
- Examine exposed ducts in the attic, basement, and crawl spaces, and use a sealant such as spray foam to plug up any leaks.
- Check and make sure the insulation in the attic is not being compromised by mice, bats or other rodents.
INFOGRAPHIC: Top 10 Ways To Reduce Energy Costs!
In addition to the 30 tips above, the infographic below provides you with some more tips to stay warm during the winter. This infographic is a great resource because it shows you no-cost and low-cost ways to save money on heating costs.
30 Tips To Get Your Home Ready For #Winter! https://t.co/8nbXkMiYft PLEASE RETWEET pic.twitter.com/qpbcQk87rr
— Harry Allcroft (@PuroCleanPERS) December 12, 2017
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