Getting Your Home 100% Ready for Winter

When the weather gets colder there are a lot of activities you need to conduct around your home in order to make sure that it and you are prepared. Some of these activities are mere housekeeping things that can make a small difference between being comfortable or very comfortable, while others relate directly to the health and safety of your family.

The more extreme the winter weather where you live, the more important it is that you focus on winter weather home issues.  So those living in extreme weather climates like Toronto or Moscow, should exercise great haste in preparing for the changing season. But those in molder climates like Tokyo or Dublin need to also work toward getting their homes set up for the cold.

With this in mind here is a list of things that you should do to prepare your home for the coming winter:

DIY

There are lots of do it yourself chores that you can do for winter preparedness. They include:

Get Insurance: There are at least as many disasters in the home during the winter as in any other season and you need to be covered in case of any accident. A company like Chill Insurance can provide your home with complete coverage so no matter the disaster, you will have the money to repair your home and place the things in it.

Sealing drafts: Drafts are the enemy of a nice warm home. You need to check every door and window to make sure that they close tightly and that there is no area where a draft can get into your home.  Where you find drafts there are several options you have for sealing them ranging from tape to caulking. These are simple fixes anyone can do.

Check the Chimney: If you have a home with a chimney make sure that it is unobstructed and that the flue closes properly. On cold nights the flue is a major area for warm air escaping from your home. Check it now and call a repair man before it gets cold.

Check smoke alarms: Winter means that your home will be locked up tight with less air circulation. In the event of a fire, fumes will spread more quickly and can overwhelm you. With the fireplace going, there is also the increased chance of a fire in your home. To prepare for this increased risk, you need to make sure you have the proper smoke alarms and that they are working effectively. Check each and make sure they work and any that are faulty should be replaced.

Locate all of your winter wares: These include everything you need to deal with snow and ice. They include show shovels, ice picks, instead of using salt to melt ice, try sand, ash from the fireplace or coffee grinds as a natural salt alternative that is better for the environment and safer for pets. Also if you have any power tools like a snow blower make sure they are in perfect working order. Finally make sure you have some warm winter gloves with fingers and a warm waist length coat for shoveling snow.

Call in the Professionals

Check your heating system – Your home’s first line of defense against the cold outside is your home heating system and its optimal operation can save you and your family on the coldest of nights. You can certainly check on your own to see if any filters need replacing, but you need to call in a professional to do a full inspection of the system. Many of the biggest issues with a heating system cannot be spotted by eye or seen by someone not trained so getting a professional in your home to inspect the system, the ducting and the vents is the smart thing to do before it gets too cold. And if you need to replace it, now is the time.

Get to work on preparing your home for winter now while the chill is just beginning. If you wait too late you will have many uncomfortable nights and calling a heater repairmen when you system is broken in the winter will cost you a whole lot more.