5 Tips to Prepping Your Home For a Cold Winter
Brrrrrrrrr!!! The cold season is creeping in. And everybody is busy trying to get themselves and their families warm and cozy. And surely, you are also trying very hard in finding ways to make your family warm. Well, consider yourself lucky this time, as we will be imparting you useful tips that will surely get your home ready for winter.
And without further ado, here are 5 useful tips that will help you get the much-needed warmth in this winter season.
Check your heating systems
If you have the traditional fireplace in your rooms, now is definitely the good time to inspect them and clean them. Make sure that it is clean from debris and ash. And for safety reasons, do a thorough inspection for cracks in the walls of your fireplace. Also, do not forget to make sure that you have enough firewood stored.
On the other hand, if you have the modern furnace installed in your homes, then you might want to consider hiring professionals to do a check-up for maintenance. They will be the one with the right skills and knowledge to determine if you should upgrade or just clean and replace your filters.
Check your water pipes
It is a known fact that water expands as it freezes. Thus, water pipes having leaks, cracks or even breakage are pretty common occurrences during the winter. And to avoid these from happening to your water pipes, make a visible note near your water faucets reminding users to not fully close them, enough for water to drip after using. This will prevent the water freezing to an extent. Also, as a precaution, inspect your main water valve and make sure that you can turn it off should an emergency arise.
Seal Gaps
To maximize the performance of your heating systems, find and seal the gaps that will allow the heat to escape from your home and also allow the cold breeze to enter. These gaps are commonly found on window linings and garage doors. You can also add additional panes and panels to further strengthen their heat resistance. Doing this simple tasks will maximize your heating system’s efficiency and also save you a lot of money from your electricity bill.
Change your beddings and wardrobe
Another effective way to prepare your home for the winter season is by changing your beddings, blankets and your whole wardrobe. Changing blankets to thicker comforters or if you have the budget, you can consider buying semi or fully furred blankets as they are unbelievably warm as long as you don’t have tickle issues. There are also thick bath towels and bathrobes that are specially made for the winter, so you can consider having those. And finally, now is a good time to bring out the coats, fur jackets, and other thick clothing and put them on your daily wardrobe.
Stock up on emergency items
And last but not the least, always have an emergency plan should power outages and other unpredictable disasters happen. Make sure that you have spare batteries, fire extinguishers, emergency food packs, and clothing stored in some place secure in your house. You can also buy a battery or gas powered wood burner to provide you the necessary heat during power outages.
While these 5 tips will surely get your home prepared for the cold season, always remember to regularly inspect and check if these tips are still in effect in order to ensure that your home will be cold-proof whole season long.