With the cooling weather and end of summer on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about preparing your home for fall. With homeownership, there is never a shortage of maintenance projects to do, especially when it comes to planning for the season ahead. As this season begins to wind down, here are 10 end of summer home maintenance tips to get your home ready for the fall ahead.
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Clean Your Gutters
When full of debris and leaves, your gutters will not properly drain leading to exterior damage and possible flooding. Save yourself the headache and prevent water damage by cleaning out your gutters often. If you don’t have the ability to reach your gutters, reach out to a professional to do the job.
Check and Seal Your Windows
Before the cooler months are in full swing, take the time to go through your home and open windows to check the seal and caulking around the frame. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, about 25-30% of heating energy use is caused by heating loss through windows.
Cut back Tree Limbs
Be sure to cut back and remove unstable, damaged, or dead limbs from your trees before they cause damage to your home. It only takes one big gust of wind or heavy storm to break the limb and send it crashing down.
Store Outdoor Furniture
While your outdoor furniture is marketed for the outdoors, it doesn’t mean that you should leave it outdoors all year long. By storing your furniture in the fall and winter months, you can lengthen its quality and longevity. If you don’t have a place to store your furniture, purchasing a waterproof cover is always an option as well.
Protect your outdoor furniture from the cold weather and snow by storing it or purchasing a waterproof cover.
Inspect Driveways, Walkways and Patios
While it may seem like a tedious process, it is important to be proactive about repairing cracks in your driveway, walkways and patio. In the fall and winter months, water that gets into cracks will freeze, expand, and make the crack even bigger.
Fertilize Lawn
In order to have a healthy, good-looking lawn in the spring and summer, it is best to prep and fertilize your lawn in the fall. By fertilizing now, you will be protecting your lawn from winter damage and providing a boost to its growth and color in the spring.
Change and Clean Filters
When was the last time you cleaned or replaced your air filter? Change and check your air filters on a seasonal basis to ensure that it is running at its most efficient levels. In addition to your air filter, be sure to check water filtration devices and any HEPA filters in your cleaning devices.
Inspect Your HVAC
Before the cooler temperature arrives, be sure that your heating and air system is prepared. Take the time to clean out any of the ducts and perform a thorough inspection. The last thing you want is to be without heat when it’s time to turn it on.
Clean Your Grill
Summertime and barbeques go hand in hand, so with the summer months coming to an end, it is time to clean your grill and store it. For tips on how to clean your grill, check out this article from HGTV.
Prep Your Winter Equipment
Don’t wait until the first blizzard to discover that your snowblower doesn’t work. Take the time while it is still nice out to test and prep all of your winter equipment.
During the summer months, it is easy to get caught up in fun activities and enjoy the sun. However, with fall and winter on the horizon, be sure to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and prepare your home for fall using these end of summer home maintenance tips.
