By Tyler R. Morrissey
The calendar may still say fall, but if you take a walk outside for more than five minutes, you’ll know that winter weather is here and won’t be leaving any time soon. While many of us see wintertime as the opportunity to hunker down, there’s a lot you can do in and around the house during the course of the season. The weather is too unpredictable to take on most home renovations, but you don’t want to ignore your most valuable asset until spring flowers bloom. Below are some tips to get you started on protecting your property from “Old Man Winter.”
Keep Your Steps and Walkway Ice Free
One of the most important things to do during the winter is keeping your walkway free of ice. Your steps are used by anybody who enters your home. Most homeowners stock up on ice-melt or rock salt, but what happens if you run out or there’s an unexpected storm? The Kitchn recommends using a pantry staple that you most likely have in your kitchen to de-ice your steps or walkway. Because baking soda is a type of salt, it can lower the freezing point for ice, accelerating the melting process. Plus, it’s less alkaline than calcium chloride, the salt commonly used for melting ice that can sometimes damage surfaces. While baking soda might not be as effective as industrial ice-melt, it will do the job in a pinch.
Stay Warm Indoors
If you have no reason to venture outside there are plenty of tips you should heed to make sure your cozy day or evening inside is a warm one. Keeping your home warm can be as simple as adjusting your curtains or blinds. Patch recommends opening curtains or shades of east, south and west-facing windows on sunny winter days to let the sun help you heat your home. Close these same light blockers at night and be sure to keep draperies closed all day on north-facing windows.
Don’t Forget to Keep the Pipes Warm
In addition to keeping what you can see in your home’s interior warm, you also want to keep what you can’t see warm as well. Frozen or burst pipes are a very common winter problem that plagues many homeowners nationwide. Since flowing water is harder to freeze, LoHud says that you should consider leaving bathroom and kitchen faucets dripping during a deep freeze. It’s also a good idea to open cabinet doors underneath the sink to allow warm air to get close to the pipes, especially if the sink is attached to an exterior wall. If you’re traveling for the holidays or escaping the cold all together with a tropical vacation, it’s wise to keep your thermostat above 55 in all parts of the home.
Stock Up on Essentials
Winter storms in the region are a given, which is why you should stock up now rather than when the flakes begin to fall in abundance. The New York Times states that homeowners should order firewood if they haven’t already. Once you have the seasoned wood in a pile, cover it with a plastic tarp. Firewood could be stored in an unheated garage, but do not store more than a week’s supply in the house, as the wood could attract insects. It’s also a good idea to keep wood on hand in the event you lose power during a storm and need to start a fire to stay warm. If you don’t have one already, it’s also a good idea to invest in a portable generator and to double check supplies in emergency kits to make sure they haven’t expired.
Be Vigilant of Ice Dams
As the winter season continues, ice may build up on the eaves of your roof, creating an ice dam. When this happens your gutters and siding can be damaged and water can leak into your home. The New York Times’ annual home maintenance checklist explains how to combat this issue. Throughout the winter homeowners should inspect the exterior of their home regularly for signs of an ice dam. Icicles can be the first sign of an ice dam forming, so it’s a good idea to use a roof rake to remove snow from your roof to prevent icicles. Also, take a look in all your gutters to ensure you successfully cleaned out all of the leaves from the fall, so that any melting snow can safely flow away from your house.
