We all remember how last winter was, Snow, Snow and more Snow.
It’s time to think about getting your house ready for winter.
Arrange to have your furnace inspected and cleaned. A clean furnace works more efficiently. Hopefully by having it cleaned you will have less of a chance of the furnace breaking down during the coldest part of the winter.
Have your fireplace chimney cleaned. It will make sure your chimney is safe to use this winter. Plus if a bird has made a nest in your chimney, the first time you light a fire, your home could fill with smoke.
Talk a walk around the outside of your house and check to see if you have any overhead power lines look to see if you branches that need to be trimmed away from the wires. Also check for any broken windows that might need to be replaced to prevent the cold air from getting in.
Check to make sure your shovels are handy; are any that need to be replaced? Do you have rock salt and/or sand handy? Do you have a snow blower? Do you have gas on hand? Will your snow blower start? Now might be a good time now for a tune-up.
What about your fire extinguishers, are they charged? Check the expiration date and replace if no longer active.
Add weather stripping to any door or windows that may need it.
Start cleaning out the garage – you may want to put your car in the garage for the winter months. We all like to use our garage as storage and the car hardly ever goes in the garage.
Make sure you clean out your gutters. This will help with the ice dams, you may still get them depending on the weather and how much snow there is, but if the gutters are cleaned to begin with it may help minimize them.
Make sure you have some candles or flashlights on hand in case you lose power.
Think about putting together an emergency box with food and water to get you through a few days in the event of a power failure. If you have a baby, make sure it includes food and diapers for the baby. For small children, make sure you have some games or something for them to do to keep them busy. Make an adventure out of it and spend some quality time with the family.
