The days are starting to get shorter and the leaves will soon start to fall, summer is sadly coming to an end and with that comes fall. Besides apple picking, Halloween parties and lots of turkey, you probably want to do a pre-fall maintenance walk-through on your home. We’ve put together a list of simple maintenance checks to keep your home and family safe during the fall and upcoming winter months.

Check Smoke Detectors

Fall is a great time to check that batteries and expiration dates in smoke and carbon dioxide detectors are in great working condition. As the winter months come, windows are not opened, heaters are running and space heaters can cause a hazard in your home (if you use a space heater, as a reminder to always make sure they are turned off when you are not in the home). Smoke detectors are good to last for 10 years and carbon dioxide detectors are meant to last 6 years.

Cleaning out Gutters

Cleaning your gutters will help with possible future replacement after the long winter months. Don’t forget all the hard work our gutters do all year long from draining gallons of water from rainfall, to holding heavy amounts of leaves, snow and ice. Making sure they are cleaned out and not clogged before winter will prolong their lifespan and your wallet.

Check for Drafts

Winter is not the moment you want to learn you have a draft in your home. How to check if you have a draft? The pros recommend closing all doors and windows on a strip of paper, if the paper slides easily, you need to update your weather-stripping. This will not only help with heating costs but help the environment with less energy wasted.

Turning off Outdoor Faucets

So simple, yet so hard to remember. Shutting off, draining and disconnecting your hose might not sound like a priority before winter but you should definitely make it one. Lack of doing so can result in a frozen water line and a water pipe burst, which is not a problem one wishes to experience in the winter, at least we don’t!

Change your Filters

Did you know if your filters are dirty and clogged it can be more costly? If your filters are not in clean working condition, it will be hard to keep your home’s temperature regulated, which means higher heating bills. It’s as simple as cleaning on a monthly basis and replacing when necessary to cut costs.

So, there you have it, a few minor but very cost-effective ways to prepare your home for the upcoming season and weather changes. As you’ve probably heard before, better be prepared than be sorry.