During the winter, seasonal temperatures create frozen landscapes that are as beautiful as they are hostile.
Shorter days and low temperatures encourage people to hibernate in their homes until the harsh weather passes.
This season encourages reflection and planning for the new year.
While you’re holed up inside this winter, there’s a lot you can do to ensure your home continues to be a warm, secure shelter for years to come. H
ere are six things you should fix in your home this winter.
1. Replace Filters
Replacing filters is one of the easiest things you can do to update your home.
After a while, filters collect sediment that can clog them and actually make it harder for appliances to work well. As a good rule of thumb, you should replace HVAC filters every one to three months or when they look too dirty to use anymore.
Some filters may just need to be washed and replaced.
Over your stove, there’s a filter that works to trap grease. Cleaning this filter periodically will increase its effectiveness and reduce your risk of having a house fire.
You can also check to see if your fridge has any filters that need to be changed.
2. Check Drainage
Most damage to homes in the winter is caused by water leaks or the expansion of ice after a leak has occurred.
There are a few steps you should take every fall and winter to protect your home from potential water damage.
First, do your best to keep gutters clear. If water isn’t able to drain properly, it can freeze and cause gutters to crack and break.
You should also observe the way water flows around your home. If rain and snow collect by an exterior wall, they’ll eventually melt inside and flood your basement. Cleaning your sump pump will also prepare you to keep floodwater in check.
3. Optimize Energy
Installing a smart thermostat is one of the best ways to optimize your home energy use over the winter.
Although you’ll have to heat your house during the day, you can preset lower temperatures on your phone for nighttime and save energy while you sleep.
To protect your plumbing, you should never set the thermostat below 55 degrees day or night during the winter.
Another way to save on energy is to unplug electronic devices from the wall after they’ve been fully charged. Many devices will continue to drain “vampire energy” just from being plugged into the socket.
You can also consider moving your furniture away from radiators or heat vents to ensure warm air is distributing evenly throughout your house.
4. Add Insulation
Winter is also the perfect season to seal up any cracks along doors and windows in your home. Even there aren’t visible cracks, the trim around openings often isn’t insulated and can let cold air into your house.
To strengthen your home’s defense against cold weather, you can remove trim and add spray insulation underneath to seal openings.
Windows are another place where cold air easily enters your home. Frost that forms on windows can melt into window frames and surrounding drywall, warping your home and increasing the risk of interior mold.
You can insulate your windows with weatherstripping, film insulation, or even a temporary layer of bubble wrap.
5. Tackle Repairs
Many homes suffer from issues like squeaking doors, creaky floorboards, loose hardware, and flimsy towel racks.
Take advantage of time inside during the cold weather to repair small things around your home.
Most of these fixes can be completed quickly and are low-cost repairs. For example, you can treat squeaking doors with a small amount of olive oil from your kitchen or some petroleum jelly.
Creaking floorboards can be screwed more tightly to the floor or rubbed with talcum powder to reduce friction.
You can work through issues in your home room by room or simply start by fixing the thing that’s been bothering you the most.
6. Trim Trees
If you’re tired of completing projects inside, you can spend some time ensuring your yard is handling the cold weather well.
For example, winter is prime time for tree limbs to become damaged from heavy snow and ice. Unstable limbs can then break off and land on vehicles or your home.
To prevent damage to your property, always trim tree limbs away from your house and avoid parking cars under comprised trees.
Trees with broken limbs can become diseased if they’re not cared for properly. If a branch breaks, you should cut the split limb off at the trunk.
Always be careful when trimming trees, and get professional help if needed.
Let It Snow
While snow and ice accumulate outside, you’ll be updating the interior of your home for a safe, cozy winter season.
Staying on top of maintenance will help you weather winter storms with confidence that your home will make it through the season in good shape.
Use this list of projects to keep your home running smoothly during the winter months.
These indoor tasks will help you pass the time until warmer weather brings an opportunity for more intensive renovations.