How to Get a Home Ready for Winter

Even as early as the end of August and beginning of September, it's unfortunately time to start getting your home ready for winter (or at least start thinking about it). The good news is, if you start early enough and do just a few little projects along the way-when November and winter arrive at your doorstep-you'll be ready and there will be no need to panic. Here is a list of things you should consider doing to get your home ready for winter-broken down into "bite-sized" projects.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh gasoline
• Vacuum
• Cleaning supplies
• Telephone
• Weatherstripping
• Caulking
• Paint
• Brush
• Carpet cleaner

Instructions

How to Do Projects That Take Less Than a Half Hour

1. Arrange to have your furnace inspected and maintained (if you didn't do it in the spring). Late summer or early fall is still early enough in the year that the technicians won't be overwhelmed and you can probably get an early appointment. If you wait until winter, the technicians are run off their feet and you might need to wait a month or more for an appointment (make a mental note to do this in the spring next year, when nobody else thinks about it).

2. Arrange to have your fireplace chimney cleaned. Not only will it ensure your chimney is safe to use in the coming winter, it could save a major hassle. For example, if birds built a nest in your chimney during the summer, the first time you light a fire your house could be filled with smoke.

3. Walk around the outside of your house and check to see if things need to be done outside. For example, has any caulking developed cracks or openings that will allow cold air to get into your home? If you have overhead power lines, look to see if there are any branches that have grown close to them, and if there are, call the power company to come trim them. (It's free and could save you a power outage in the middle of winter.)

4. Determine if you are ready for the first snowfall. Do you need a new shovel? Do you have salt and/or sand? Do you have fresh gas for your snow blower, and most important, will it start? Now's the time to find out, and if it won't start, arrange to get it fixed or plan on doing it yourself.

5. Check the expiration date on your fire extinguisher and ensure it's working properly. If it needs to be recharged, now's a good time to do it.

6. Pull out your refrigerator and vacuum the coils. Dust on the coils will make the fridge work harder and cost you extra power.

How to Do Projects That Take More Than a Half Hour

1. Add weatherstripping to any doors or windows that need it. Also, fix any caulking you noticed earlier that needed repairing. Plug any holes around cables or pipes that come directly through the walls into your home. Besides cold air, mice may be able to fit though those small openings, and you don't want to be providing a warm winter home for the neighborhood rodents.

2. Check that there aren't any bare patches of wood on your walls or trim where the paint has blistered and peeled during the summer. Fall is a good time to do your painting touchups.

3. Rent a carpet cleaner and clean your carpets. Clean carpets will be free of pet dander and any odors built up over the past year, so your home will be a much more pleasant place to spend your winter days.

4. Start cleaning out the garage. If you're like most other homeowners during the summer, your cars never go into the garage and it becomes a huge storage bin. Unfortunately, when the snow starts blowing you will want your car under cover, and that means the garage will need to be cleared out.

Tips & Warnings

• The good thing about planning for winter early is you can do the necessary jobs over a couple of months. You'll have lot of time to do them, as well as the time to do them properly.