Every season brings with it some important tasks to get done around your home. While every maintenance task is important, spring and fall to-dos may be the most vital. The transitions between the warm and cold seasons can damage your home and yard if proper preparation is not completed. Alongside the traditional fall maintenance, there are little tasks that can make your fall and winter seasons even better.
Exterior Projects:
- Clean Your Gutters – Fall leaves bring clogged gutters. Get ahead of the game by cleaning and shielding your gutters with a gutter guard to make the task easier next time.
- Winterize Your Driveway and Sidewalks – Small cracks can expand and become large eyesores as the cold weather sets in. Pull and clear away any weeds or grass and repair any cracks with concrete caulk.
- Clean (and Inspect) Your Chimney – Critters can decide to make homes in your chimney, to prevent a flue fire, be sure your fireplace and chimney are clean and ready for your first fall fire.
- Restore Your Lawn – Your grass still needs water in the fall. If rains are consistent be sure to continue to water your lawn to restore it from the damage done by summer heat. If you use fertilizer, be sure to keep the lawn well-watered to ensure the fertilizer will soak into the roots.
- Plant Fall Flowers – Fall is a great time to plant hardy flowers to ensure that your yard looks beautiful even as the first frost hits. Now is also the ideal time to plant bulbs to prepare for spring blooms.
Interior Projects:
- Change Your HVAC Filters – Changing your filters seasonally keeps your HVAC from overworking and keeps your electric bills down. Luckily, this is an easy task to tackle. Now might also be a good time to schedule a tune-up and inspection.
- Weatherstripping – Save some money on heating this fall by adding weatherstripping to windows and doors.
- Seal Cracks and Openings – Drafty wind isn’t the only thing you need to keep out of your home this fall. As the weather cools, pests and small animals will seek your warm shelter. Keep out vermin and bugs by sealing cracks and patching any holes.
- Check Smoke Detectors – A working smoke detector is your best line of defense against death or injury due to a fire. Now is a great time to verify that they are working optimally.
