Preparing Your Home for Fall

Fall is just about here, and with the changing leaves comes changes in the way your home will function. Between dealing with the added stress of school for kids and the changes in weather, you’ll have quite a bit on your plate! One way to ease the transition is to start doing some things now that will help you prepare your home for the upcoming seasonal changes. Here are a few things to think about doing over the next month so you will be prepared for fall:

Twice per year, you should be changing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Since heating season will be coming up quickly, this can literally be a matter of life and death. Take the time to dust off your safety devices, change the batteries, and test them. After that, you should be testing them monthly to be sure that they’re in working condition.

Once the temperatures drop, your heat will kick on. If that’s the first time that you notice a problem, then you’ll have some chilly days ahead! Choose a cool day and turn on your heater now, before the cold season really kicks in. If your chimney needs to be cleaned or your furnace filters changed, this is a good time to get that done, too.

Take a peek up there and see if your gutters are filled with dead leaves or other debris. Over the next few months, they’ll fill up even more as the foliage begins to fly! When gutters get filled, rainwater pools in them. This causes waterfall-like conditions in random places around the perimeter of your home, and can even cause the gutters to fall due to the weight. Check these each month throughout the fall, and clean them if necessary.

If it gets cold enough for water to freeze, you could experience a burst pipe. Once watering season is over, drain your hose and outdoor irrigation system. Make sure that your pipes are wrapped now, before it gets cold. Also, locate the shut-off valves on your water lines so that you can shut everything down in case of emergency.

If you have cracks in your sidewalk or walkways, they will tend to split open even more once the water that accumulates begins to freeze. Now is the time to get these repaired in order to prevent further damage.

As the days of fall get cooler, your wardrobe will begin to change. Making the switch gradually lessens the amount of stress that a big closet overhaul tends to cause. Start packing away a few items each weekend, and by the time the chilly days are here in full force, you should be all set!

Taking the time now to handle some of these chores before they’re absolutely necessary will allow you to spread out the work, which in turn will keep your stress at a lower level than it would be if you had to rush through everything. Remember to think and plan ahead as you prepare your home for fall.