By Warren C Mahmood
If you know what spring cleaning means, you probably have some notion what it means to winterize your home. As soon as autumn arrives you need to inspect your home's readiness for the upcoming winter. In the course of fall it is actually easier to examine the outside of the home, since the foliage is dying away and you can more easily see if shrubs are attached to the house. Clean off roots and vines clinging to the siding, otherwise they may cause damage - even bricks are vulnerable.When they are no longer needed to do any watering, the garden hose should all be emptied and rolled up to be put into storage for the winter. The external faucets must have the water turned off, and then allowed to drain dry. Get your patio furniture cleaned up and stored in a place dry, once you are done using it till the following year.Any young trees that you've planted, you should protect them with mulch, especially if it is their first winter. To allow for extra rainfall, you should clear away any drainage ditches that you have.Once the weather conditions starts to get colder, it is time to start thinking of fireplaces. Get your chimney swept in time, before the first cold spell, because that's typically when everyone wakes up and wants it done. If you use firewood, don't delay in finding someone and getting a good supply built up. When driving around rural areas, you might find local people who sell fire wood, without lots of advertising.No matter if you use a fireplace in winter, you should check all of your smoke alarms to make sure they are working. The connections to the Christmas lights may become brittle and crack if you don't ever take them down, so check them for sufficient flexibility. And presently is the time to get the storm windows installed. You should assess if some of the weather-stripping has become dried out from the summer's heat and needs to be replaced.The windows are seldom opened in winter, therefore it is necessary to check the condition of the filters in the range hood. Check that the slope of the earth around your house will still allow water to flow away. Water bleeding out into the basement and the foundation can cause serious problems. To begin with it causes wet rot, which could change to dry rot after some time, which you sincerely want to do without. Make the attempt of examining, at regular time periods, that water is not seeping into your home.It is apparently inevitable that water leaks come, and the most likely places are the roof, the gutter and down-spouts, and the inside plumbing. Set a priority to get any leaks you see fixed. Minimize a draft by safeguarding air-conditioning units, and consider wrapping exterior pipes, especially if the house is older. Your floor coverings may need to be shampooed to get rid of dust which in winter is readily noticed. Finish off by just cleaning the glass windows.
