6 Tips To Get Your Home Ready for Fall I wish the only thing you needed to prep your home for fall is to light a bunch of pumpkin spice candles. While yes, that is a crucial part of getting ready for the change of seasons, there are more important (and not exactly fun) preparations that come with being a homeowner.
We’re fortunate that, unlike our neighbors up north, we don’t have to take on a lengthy laundry list of chores to prep our homes for fall – or, even worse, “winterize” our homes – but there are a few basic home maintenance tasks Florida homeowners should perform as we transition from summer’s blazing 90+ degree days to friendlier temperatures in the 70s.
1. Clean, or possibly replace, your gutters. Real talk: Florida’s rainy season puts your gutter cleaning to the test – and our soggy summer is followed another gutter-busting time of year. You’re so used to your gutters working properly – and draining thousands of gallons of water from your roof yearly – that you forget they could use a little “deleafing” TLC. If they’re clogged, you can end up with a flooded interior and damaged exterior. So clean them, and if necessary, replace them
2. Check for drafts. Heat loss through windows is responsible for 25-30 percent of heating energy use, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. But it doesn’t have to be that way, because weatherstripping is simple and probably the most cost-effective
Pro tip: To check if you have a draft issue, close a door or window on a strip of paper. If the paper slides easily, you need to update your weatherstripping.
3. Change your filters. Another thing in your house that might be costing you more money then it should be. If your filters are clogged, it’s harder to keep your home at the temperature you want it too be which will increase your heating bills. Clean these filters monthly, not just before the fall, and thank me later. FYI: Disposable filters can be vacuumed one time before you replace it, and foam filters can just be vacuumed and not replaced.
4. Fertilize your lawn. You know what they say: The best offense is a good defense. If you want to keep your lawn looking great in the spring and summer, you need to prep it for the fall and winter. Roots are still active when the grass isn’t growing, so applying fertilizer will prevent winter damage. Doing this will also help your lawn turn green faster in the spring, which is crucial, because who wants to look at a sad lawn once it gets nice out?
5. Change your batteries. Once a year you should be checking to make sure all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide devices are working. Since you’re already testing everything else out, you might as well add this on.
6. Put on those Cozy Socks, light a Pumpkin Candle, sip some Apple Cider and get ready for the holidays!
Source: HouseBeautiful
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