Fall Maintenance Checklist

September 21, 2022

A Green Fall Maintenance Checklist For Your Home

Just like spring cleaning, you really should get your home ready for the winter. Here are a couple of projects that you will want to get accomplished although the weather is still nice out (or if you happen to be in the North, before the snow falls). These projects will save energy, button up your home and prevent costly problems later on. Also included are a couple of projects that everybody thinks they should do, but you may not have too!

1. Caulk. Caulk is your friend. This could be the least high-priced way to plug leaks. It also prevents damage to wood and masonry where water has already been let in. Outside, you must get rid of the loose and/or wet materials and let the area dry out. Then use an exterior grade caulk to fix any outdoor issues.

2. Roof Drainage. You have to make sure that your gutters get a thorough cleaning in the fall. It is very important to not forget about cleaning out the S-shaped fitting under your gutter. That tends to get missed. Nonetheless, it can cause complications later on if it's clogged.

3. Moisture Control. You ought to maintain a 30 to 50 percent relative humidity inside your home with a portable central system. If you aren't, there are usually two culprits causing this: stagnant water and/or mineral deposits. First, turn off your system and check the sponge pad. If it has calcium deposits, it is time to make a change. If the filter is clogged with deposits, scrub it using a 1-to-4 remedy of vinegar and water. To remove stagnant bacteria breeding water, use a 50-50 solution of bleach and water.

4. Air quality. Most of our properties are built tightly to save energy. Nevertheless, our homes might be so closed up that you can smell last night's dinner for days! Changing air filters will help with odors, dust, mold spores, and pet dander.

5. Drain your water lines. In the North, you are guaranteed it will get cold enough to bust a copper pipe or even shatter plastic. In the South, you never know what weird weather will hit. How frequently do we hear about how towns shut down due to the fact they got an inch of snow? With most lawn sprinkler systems, you'll be able to just shut off the supply and open the drain valve located in a pit at the low point of the system. You may also blow out the system with compressed air. At all outside faucets, disconnect and drain your garden hoses and then close the inside cut-off valve. Then open the exterior valve to drain the last bit of water.

6. Clean out your closets. In the spring and in the fall is the perfect time to go through and recycle what you are no longer wearing. You can also put away those tank tops and shorts and pull out your bamboo socks, wool sweaters, and pashbu scarves.

Like spring, fall is really a time of change: change the light bulbs in your house to LEDs, change the batteries in your smoke detector, change up your wardrobe. It is also a time to close every thing up. These couple of tips will help you get a good start on your fall cleaning and winterizing!