Autumn Checklist - Seven Ways To Get Your Home Prepared
As autumn nights start to draw in, it can be challenging to shake off your summer mode. While we may love the fresh florals and lightweight materials of spring and summer, they can start to feel out of place, and cold as autumn creeps in.
Our homes transform from season to season, and autumn and winter are the months we love to create a cosy haven to retreat into when the weather turns chilly outside. Autumn is the time to reintroduce some warmth, comfort and luxury into your home and create a place for rest, relaxation and peace, but we must also be mindful to prepare our home during autumn to brace against the worst of the winter weather.
Here we have a checklist of seven tips to help you prepare your home this autumn.
1: Eliminating draughts
We want our rooms to feel warm and cosy during autumn as the weather turns chilly. The first thing to do is to check for draughts around doors, windows, electrical fittings, skirting boards, floorboards and loft hatches. Draught-proofing your rooms will make your home more energy efficient, meaning you will use less energy and save money on your heating bills.
2: Get your boiler serviced
The last thing you want is for your boiler to fail or work inefficiently when the days get colder and you start using your central heating again. Getting your central heating boiler serviced in the autumn before winter makes sense, as most boiler breakdowns occur during the winter, and local plumbers become overwhelmed with boiler repair requests.
3: Clean out your gutters
Autumn is when trees and bushes shed their leaves, and your guttering can quickly get overwhelmed with dead leaves, twigs, moss and other debris. Cleaning your guttering can help rainwater and snowmelt water safely drain away and will prevent any water leaks and damp patches caused by blocked and overflowing guttering.
4: Tidy up the garden
As the autumn creeps in, it becomes too cold to sit outdoors and enjoy alfresco dining in your garden. This is the time to pack away your outdoor furniture and tidy away any clutter, outdoor toys and loose objects that winter storms can blow around your garden and get damaged. Tie down any awnings or freestanding gazebos you cannot dismantle and pack away to prevent them from being blown over by strong winds.
5: Fix your paving
If you have any broken paving slabs or cracks in your driveway, autumn is the best time to fix these issues before the winter weather sets in. The weather will still be warm enough in the autumn for cement and grouting to dry out and set. Fixing loose paving stones and cracked outdoor surfaces can help to reduce tripping hazards, especially during darker days in the winter, making it harder to see broken or loose slabs and damaged hard surfaces.
6: Deep clean and declutter your home
Decluttering your home can free up some much-needed indoor space, especially during autumn when we start to spend more time indoors. Deep cleaning the carpets and sprucing up your décor with a lick of fresh paint can give your home a new lease of life and create a warm and cosy atmosphere for you to relax and unwind. Donate any large and bulky pieces of furniture you can do without to create more floor space and make your rooms lighter.
7: Check your double-glazing
The change in season brings cooler autumn temperatures that can cause your double-glazed windows and doors to mist up and form condensation. Your windows are more likely to steam up in areas of high moisture, such as the bathroom and kitchen. If you notice any misting between the panes of your double-glazed windows, this can mean the seals have failed. There are fixes available to remedy this and ways to reduce condensation build-up on your double glazing - see these tips by Camberley Glass & Windows for more information.
Conclusion
Many of these tips are not very glamorous, but they are essential for ensuring your home is prepared for the changing seasons and can help to reduce issues developing during the winter. We hope you find them helpful!
