Once you learn what spring cleaning means, you most likely have some notion what it means to winterize your home. Once autumn arrives you really should inspect your home's readiness for the upcoming winter. At this particular time of year, with the leaves dying out, inspecting the house is easier, so you can tell if any shrubs are hanging onto the house. Clinging vines and plants roots damage siding and in many cases bricks, so it is good to keep them cleaned off.

When you have finished your last watering, drain, roll up and store all the hose. The outside faucets need to have the water turned off, and then permitted to drain dry. When you are finished with your garden furniture for the year, clean it up then store it in a dry spot. All young trees that you have planted, you should protect them with mulch, especially if it is their first winter. To help protect against your yard from becoming sodden if heavy rains occur, make sure that any drainage ditches are clear.

Once the temperature starts to get colder, it is time to start thinking about fireplaces. Fireplace sweeps tend to be in high demand wih the first cold spell, so avoid the queue and get in early. You never know how the availability of firewood will be, so if you are going to need some, try and locate some in plenty of time. When driving around countryside areas, you will discover local people who sell fire wood, without lots of advertising. No matter if you employ a fireplace in winter, you should check all of your smoke alarms to make sure they are working. Some people leave Christmas lights up all year, and the cords should be checked for flexibility. And right now is the time to get the storm windows set up. You must assess if the weather-stripping has become dried out from the summer's heat and needs to be replaced.

Throughout the winter months, the windows remain closed most of the time, so make sure that the filtering system in your range hood are in good working order. Do a check of the ground-slope all around the home, ensuring that it falls away from the walls. Water emptying into the basement and the platform can cause major problems. To begin with it can cause wet rot, which in turn could cause dry rot, which isn't something you want in your home anywhere. Frequently inspect your home for warning signs of seepage.

Leaking can't be kept at bay forever, so check the places where leaks most commonly occur, these being the roofing, the guttering, the downpipes and the interior plumbing. Turn it into a priority to get any leaks you discover fixed. Reduce a draft by covering air-conditioning units, and look at wrapping exterior pipes, especially if the house is older. Your floor coverings may need to be shampooed to eliminate dust which in winter is readily noticed. You might as well use the time to wash the windows.

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