Your fall home maintenance checklist

Owning a home is a great accomplishment and a great privilege. It takes a lot of work to maintain a home, keep it in good shape, and ensure it's comfortable and safe. Preparing for winter is one of the more important tasks for a homeowner, especially if you live in a climate where you can expect freezing temperatures and snow. Here's a home fall checklist of everyday maintenance tasks you can use to make sure your home is ready for winter.

Key takeaways:

• Autumn is a good time to prepare your home for winter.
• Key exterior projects include cleaning gutters, preparing your landscaping, sealing gaps, and draining outdoor water systems.
• Important interior tasks include checking safety devices and insulation, reversing ceiling fans, servicing heating systems, and cleaning chimneys.
• Decluttering and deep cleaning help prepare your home for the season, while donating unused items supports charities like Goodwill and the Salvation Army.

A fall home checklist to prep your exterior for the cold

Cold winter temperatures can be harsh on your home’s exterior. Freezing temperatures can cause ice dams in your gutters, freeze your pipes, and damage landscaping. Of course, some areas receive more rain or snow, and winter concerns vary depending on where you live. But let’s take a closer look at different to-dos you’ll want to check off your list.

Clean out gutters and downspouts

When gutters get cluttered with leaves and other pieces of debris, they trap rainwater, which can damage the structure of your home if it freezes. Cleaning gutters ensures that no debris blocks the flow of rain or melting ice and snow. While you are cleaning your gutters, check whether water is running down behind the gutters and that the supporting brackets are secure.

You want to clean your gutters twice a year – once in autumn and once in spring. Cleaning gutters requires a ladder to reach the roof, but if you don’t feel comfortable with the height, you can reach out to a professional.

Clogged gutters can send water spilling down your siding, into your foundation, or onto walkways, where it can quickly freeze. Clean your gutters after all the leaves have fallen using a scoop, a pair of gloves, and a hose to flush the downspouts.

Winterize your landscaping

Fall is the perfect time to tune up your landscape and prep it for winter weather. Cold temperatures can damage landscaping, but winterizing helps prepare trees, plants, and shrubs to endure the winter season. What you need will depend on your landscaping layout, but there are standard steps you can take to keep your yard fresh for spring.

• Prune any trees or shrubs after their leaves have lost color, as this will improve their health and future growth. “This prevents branches from snapping under heavy snow and ice,” says Reuben Saltzman, owner of Structure Tech Home Inspections in Minneapolis, who recommends hiring a professional for this job to ensure this maintenance is performed correctly. “You’re not just keeping things pretty; you’re protecting your home from falling limbs and dead landscaping in the spring.”
• Rake leaves routinely during the fall months.
• Cover any bushes to protect them from the frost. If needed, bring plants that cannot tolerate cold weather inside.
• Trim any tree limbs that are close to power lines or your house, especially if they look weak or dead. This job should only be done by a professional for safety reasons.
• Fall is a good time to fertilize and reseed your lawn, so consider spending time prepping your lawn and garden for spring. “Water deeply before the ground freezes, and add mulch to insulate roots,” adds Saltzman.

Inspect and repair exterior surfaces

To avoid major repairs during winter, check all windows and door frames for damage or gaps that could cause air leaks. Make any necessary fixes and install weatherstripping or caulk to keep cold air from entering. Door sweeps can be installed on the bottom of the doors.

Other areas you‘ll want to inspect include walkways, outdoor stairs, driveways, railings, the roof, house siding, and the foundation. Look closely for any structural problems or cracks that could lead to falls or other issues, and prepare to treat outdoor surfaces for snow and ice.

Another important exterior fix is sealing any gaps around the house to prevent drafts and keep pests out. Purchase and install heavy-duty hardware cloth to keep cold air and animals out. And, as with your windows and doors, check the siding for any exposed areas. Repair any loose or missing siding you notice.

Drain exterior faucets and sprinkler system

To prevent any trapped water from freezing and possibly bursting your pipes, remember to drain your sprinkler system and any exterior water sources, like faucets. Cover any exterior pipes and faucets to prevent freezing. Use insulated covers made specifically for outdoor pipes, available at hardware stores. You’ll also want to store any garden hoses inside after you drain them.

“Most sprinkler systems are installed above the freeze line and are highly susceptible to bursting if water is left in them. So be sure to winterize your system before the first expected freeze for your region,” says Cassidy Cook, a professional home contractor with High Bridge Development in Louisville, Kentucky.

For interior pipes, use foam insulation designed to trap heat and prevent frozen pipes. It’s also crucial to know the location of your main water shut-off valve in case you need to cut off the water supply if pipes freeze or burst.

October home maintenance checklist: Interior projects

While interior projects can be completed year-round, autumn is the official transition from hot outdoor celebrations to cooler days spent inside. That makes it the ideal time to take on certain home maintenance chores, which can prevent issues like energy or heat loss and home fires. Here are some of the most important ones.

Check safety devices

No matter the season, it’s essential to ensure that all safety devices are working correctly. This can include smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, and fire extinguishers. The National Fire Protection Association recommends changing the batteries in your smoke detector at the same time you change your clocks – when daylight saving time ends. Smoke detector batteries should be swapped out twice a year – coinciding with when you change your clocks. The same advice applies to carbon monoxide alarms. Remember that if you use gas for heat, have a fireplace, or use a stove, you should have working carbon monoxide alarms on each level of your home to ensure safety. That’s because carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can be fatal if undetected.

It’s easy to forget about them, but fall is the perfect time to check these important safety devices. Remember to test batteries monthly on these devices.

Inspect your attic and basement

Inspecting your attic and basement before the cold arrives can help you identify mold and mildew, pest infestations, or ventilation issues. If any of these issues are present, call a professional for assistance as soon as possible.

Check that you have enough attic insulation to prevent significant heat loss in winter. And carefully inspect your foundation and basement for any signs of leaks, mold, or pests. If you spot problems, or when in doubt, reach out to a professional. For foundation issues, contact a structural engineer; if pests are detected, enlist a local pest control company to create a mitigation plan and help safeguard your home against future invaders.

“Remember that, as temperatures lower, critters tend to seek warmer places to stay," Cook says. "Are there any areas of daylight you can see in your attic? If so, ensure proper meshwork covers are in place to protect from pests."

Reverse your ceiling fans

Using ceiling fans in the winter months can help move warm air downward. This creates less pressure on your HVAC system and improves energy efficiency. In autumn, fans should rotate clockwise to create a downdraft – pulling warm air down to the ground.

There’s a small switch on your ceiling fan that you may have never noticed. This lets you switch the blade’s rotation direction.

Clean your chimney and inspect heating systems

It’s essential to stay warm during the cooler months, but you also want to keep down your heating bills. But if you have a wood-burning fireplace, you want to take special precautions. Avoid using your fireplace in the winter until you’ve scheduled a chimney inspection and cleaning. Keep in mind that igniting a fireplace when the chimney is covered with creosote is a significant fire hazard. Hire a chimney sweep, if necessary. If you don’t have a chimney cap to keep pests out, be sure to install one before they seek a warm refuge.

Autumn is also a perfect time to schedule a furnace or boiler inspection to ensure your system is working properly.

Deep clean your home

• Wipe down and disinfect your furniture surfaces, baseboards, walls, kitchen appliances, stove range hood, carpets, windowsills, curtains, blinds, and any hard-to-reach areas.
• Remove any lint buildup in the dryer vent, as the cooler weather increases static.
• Have your carpets deep cleaned.
• Sweep and mop or scrub wood, tile, and hard floors.
• Clean your windows thoroughly, including glass, frames, and sashes.
• Swap out any window screens with storm windows.

Declutter and donate items

A new season brings a change in clothes, with warm sweaters, boots, and other items reentering your closet after their hibernation. If you find items you no longer need, consider donating them to a local charity – including Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity ReStores, Vietnam Veterans of America, and AMVETS – or selling them to create more space in your home. Broken goods or items in poor condition should be thrown away. Unwanted possessions in good condition can also be sold via a yard sale, to a thrift store, or on sites like eBay and Etsy.

The bottom line: Fall home maintenance helps prepare the home for winter weather

Want to keep your house in good shape across the rest of this year and into the next? Give priority to important fall maintenance tasks. This not only keeps your abode looking spiffy but can also prevent costly repairs. Some tasks can be completed in a day, while others will need to be incorporated into a regular routine. If tackling any of these projects threatens to overwhelm your schedule, hiring professionals can keep your fall maintenance on track.

If you find that more extensive repairs are needed, consider applying for a personal loan with Rocket Loans℠ today to help you cover the expenses.