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    Home » Household Tips » 7 Tips To Winterize Your Home

    7 Tips To Winterize Your Home

    By Julie

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

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    Avoid those high heating bills and costly repairs by winterizing your home. It's simple with these 7 tips to winterize your home. Cold weather is never fun, but with these simple tricks, you can stay warm and keep your home safe from cold weather damage.

    7 tips to winterize your home

    I have noticed recently the weather turning from a nice fall day to the chilly weather of winter.

    We've had a lot of cold weather recently. I've moved our outdoor furniture and grill to the garage for winter.

    Before it gets too cold is a great time to get the house winterized. Taking a few hours to winterize the house can not only save you some money on your heating bills, but it can also help save you from some costly repairs like plumbing bills.

    Save some money and time with these 7 tips to winterize your home.

    home with snow needed winterized

    7 Tips To Winterize Your Home

    To winterize your home you will need a few things. You probably already have some of these things at home.

    • Bug Spray
    • Furnace Filter (You can also get furnace filters delivered monthly from Second Nature. Your first filter is free and you can cancel at any time.)
    • Gutter Scoop (I use this one on Amazon)
    • Weather Stripping (if needed)
    • Caulk (if needed)

    If you have storm windows now is a time to put those up too.

    spider in house

    Spray For Bugs

    I will admit, I HATE spiders. If hubby is home I make him kill the spiders. So, I try to do my best to keep the spiders out of the house.

    As the weather turns cold they will try their best to work their way into your house. I like to spray all around the exterior windows and doors, plus spray the base of the house for bugs.

    It only takes about 20 minutes, but makes a big difference in keeping the bugs away. There are some great bug sprays that last up to 6 months, so if you spray now you won't have to spray again until March.

    change furnace filter every winter

    Change Your Filters

    Before you turn on the heat this winter you should make sure to have a new air filter in your furnace.

    This will not only keep your house warmer, but it can help keep your heating bill down.

    Plus, your house will get less dusty when you frequently change your furnace filter. A dirty filter will make your furnace work harder and add dust to your home.

    If you are like me and tend to forget when you change your filters I highly recommend Amazon. You can request that Amazon sends you a new filter every few months. Ours needs to be changed every 3 months, so every 3 months we get a new one in the mail and I know it's time to change it.

    You can also get furnace filters delivered monthly from Second Nature. Your first filter is free and you can cancel at any time. Just head over here to sign up!

    put up garden hoses when winterizing your home

    Remove Garden Hoses

    One of the cheapest and easiest tips for winterizing your home is to remove the garden hose.

    Removing the garden hoses is a simple, but very important task to winterize your home.

    If you don't remove the hose your pipes can crack allowing water to seep through.

    You may not even realize that you have a crack until you find the water damage in the house.

    I like to take down my garden hoses in early October before it gets too cold. I just store them wrapped up in the garage until spring.

    This simple task takes less than 15 minutes but can save you an expensive house repair.

    clean out gutters for winter

    Clean Your Gutters

    Another must-do tip to winterize a home is to clean your gutters out. If you have trees near your gutters you will want to check them for leaves.

    Leaves and sticks can build up in your gutters and stop the flow of water. With a heavy snowfall or when the water freezes it can damage the gutters or your house. Ice dams can gather in your gutters causing damage to your gutters or leaks in your roof.

    A gutter scoop is a great way to quickly get all the leaves from the gutters and prevent damage to your home.

    Replace Weather Stripping

    Take a few minutes to inspect the weather stripping on the exterior doors. Any weather stripping that is torn or missing should be replaced. Cold air can easily get in through any of the small cracks. Weatherstripping acts like insulation to help keep the warm air in and the cold air out.

    My dogs often tear up our weather-stripping when they jump up on the door so I like to check it every winter.

    It only takes about 15 minutes to replace and really helps keep the cold drafts out.

    If you don't want to buy weatherstripping at your local hardware store you can also get it on Amazon.

    Tired of a messy home?
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    I can help! Clean your home in under 30 minutes a day with this free weekly cleaning printable.
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    Chimney Inspection

    Do you have a working chimney on your fireplace? If you do you should have it inspected every year. Creosote can build up along the walls of a chimney and cause problems or even a fire.

    This is one of those winterizing tips I don't recommend you do yourself. I would recommend finding someone to inspect your chimney for you.

    A proper chimney inspection will tell if your chimney is in good working order or if you need to have it cleaned.

    caulk outside before winter

    Caulk Any Gaps 

    One simple and easy tip for winterizing your home is to caulk any gaps on the exterior. Check your window frames and around the trim on your house for gaps.

    Often after years, the caulk around windows can wear away or the gaps get bigger. You can save yourself a lot of future damage by filling the gaps.

    It will not only help seal any air leaks to keep the cold out but will also prevent rain or snow from getting into the gaps and causing rot or mold. A $2 bottle of caulk can save you a lot of money.

    Don't spend all of your money on utility bills this winter. By taking the time to do this winterization checklist you can save yourself some time and money later.

    Want some other household tips and tricks? Check out these articles below for other great winter tasks to do.

    • How To Clean Your Dryer Vent Like A Pro
    • Simple Tips For Holiday Cleaning
    • Easy Way To Declutter For The Holidays
    « How To Deep Clean A Kitchen
    How To Wash A Down Comforter At Home »

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    P.S. For more cleaning tips and decluttering hacks delivered to your inbox subscribe here!


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    Comments

    1. gigi says

      October 04, 2015 at 6:21 am

      I had no idea you had to detach your garden hoses! Thank you!

      • Julie says

        October 04, 2015 at 11:48 am

        Your Welcome!

    2. Bridget - The Recipe Wench says

      October 06, 2015 at 6:56 am

      Great tips! I've never lived anywhere that required winterizing (southern California, Hawaii and southern Italy) BUT we did just buy a place in Colorado. Your tips have reminded me to check in with the tenants to make sure they're on top of all this. Thank you so much!

      • Julie says

        October 06, 2015 at 8:43 am

        Your welcome!

    3. Helene says

      October 06, 2015 at 8:55 am

      We live in the high desert so no need to check gutters but I will be checking the caulking thanks!

      • Julie says

        October 06, 2015 at 8:56 am

        Your welcome!

    4. Janeen says

      October 06, 2015 at 6:13 pm

      Yes, yes, yes to the chimney cleaning! That, plus some nice hot fires the first few times you burn the stove. We haven't started ours up yet, but will likely be getting it going later this month. I know we need more caulking and weatherstripping. Going to have to put that on the ever-lengthening to-do list 🙂

    5. Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says

      October 09, 2015 at 1:11 pm

      Hey, Julie! Just wanted to let you know that we loved your 7 Tips To Winterize Your Home so much when you shared it at the #HomeMattersParty last week, we’ve FEATURED it THIS WEEK! Hope you can check it out when you get a sec! Happy Friday!!! http://lifewithlorelai.com/2015/10/08/home-matters-linky-party-58/

      ~Lorelai
      Life With Lorelai / Home Matters Linky Party

      • Julie says

        October 09, 2015 at 2:22 pm

        Thank you!

    6. Audrey says

      October 10, 2015 at 11:43 am

      I need to do the caulk and weather stripping this year. I can see the gaps in some places! Congrats on the #HomeMattersParty feature

    7. Jamie says

      October 13, 2015 at 5:38 pm

      Great tips!! Living in the mountains of AZ, we do this every year. Love not having to leave during the winter and do all of those extra steps, but these are great, just to keep your house going! #HomeMattersParty

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