Preparing Your Home Before Winter Arrives

With the temperatures this past long weekend hovering in the low 20's, it almost seems absurd to be preparing your home for the winter, right? Not so! This is the perfect time to do the cleaning and maintenence that will help keep your heating bills down in the following months, as well as prolong the life of your home and appliances.

Here are some simple things you can do:

1. Furnance maintenence includes:
- Clean or replace filters.
- If forced air, have ducts vacuumed.
- Bleed air from water radiators, if necessary.

2. Make sure smoke alarms & carbon monoxide detectors are in working order, with new batteries.

3. Humidity levels will drop in the winter months, so you will want to be sure you have a humidifier of some sort. If you have a humidifier on your furnace, check that it is scale free: either clean it with a de-scaler or purchase a new filter.
If you are humidifying your living space with a portable unit, make sure you do some research before purchasing. The larger the humidifier, the more maintenence required, but you must also keep in mind the size of the rooms, and also the energy efficiency of the unit.

4. Give your home a really thorough cleaning, so when you seal out the cold, you aren't trapping in all the dust that has blown in with the autumn winds!

5. This is the time for a switch of wardrobe as well: wash your summer clothes before you pack them away, and place some cedar balls in your drawers, and cedar blocks in your closets to protect your knitwear from moths (and avoid the chemicals and strong odours of moth balls!)

6. Keep out the drafts!!!

Doors:
- Install a sweep along the bottoms of your doors, the rubber edge will seal out the wind.
- Apply "sticky foam" on the edges of the door trim
- As extra assurance, install weather stripping to the outside edge of the doorway.

Windows:
Replace window screens with storm windows, then prepare to keep out the drafts:
- One option is removable caulking (be sure to follow directions exactly so as not to damage the window panes or walls).
-Removable draft seal works in much the same way, and is just peeled off like tape in the spring.
- The old standard plastic (just blow-dry to apply) works also.
Heavy drapes can help keep the cold at bay...and remember not to seal *all* the windows, as some fresh air is good to let in once in awhile.

7. Check chimneys for obstructions.

8. Clear eavestroughs of debris.

9. Drain and store outdoor hoses. Close the valve and drain the exterior faucet.

Even these few simple tasks will help winterize your home: keeping you comfortable, lowering monthly bills and maintaining the value of a homeowner's most valuable asset!

Take advantage of these crisp autumn days to talk a walk through the neighbourhood, enjoy the leaves changing colours, and maybe stop into some of the many Toronto homes with an open house!