The Ultimate Fall Home Maintenance Checklist Everyone Should Tackle

As the heat of summer is fading and the cold winter months loom just ahead, now is the perfect time to tackle some of those home maintenance tasks you’ve probably been putting off.

Fall home maintenance is important in order to keep your house in proper operating condition. This checklist will usually contain tasks that are both big and small, but they’re all important.

Let’s take a look at a list of things you won’t want to overlook as autumn arrives.

Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

Now that the leaves are changing colors, it’s time to prepare your home for the fall. Read this fall home maintenance checklist to learn what you need to do.

Clean Your Gutters and Downspouts

Over the course of the year leaves and branches will clog your gutters during rainstorms, eventually causing water to pool and overflow. This can be a problem if left unaddressed.

The runoff water can cause roof damage by rotting and warping your shingles, as well as soaking deeper down to the decking, eventually resulting in costly roof repairs.

Prepare Exterior Faucets and Hoses for Freezing Weather

When the temperature outside starts to drop, this is your signal to shut off water to exterior faucets. Because when the weather dips below the freezing mark, water to those faucets can freeze, causing pipes to burst. Turning off water to those faucets is simple and will save you a major headache down the road.

You’ll also want to unhook hoses connected to exterior faucets, drain all water from them, and store them indoors away from the cold.

Deep Clean Your Kitchen

Taking the time to thoroughly clean the kitchen is a chore many people put off for as long as possible. But the fall is a perfect time to roll up your sleeves and tackle this unpleasant task because you will likely be doing plenty of cooking and baking during the holidays, thus you’ll want everything in the kitchen to be in tip-top shape.

Your kitchen cleaning checklist should include the following tasks: vacuuming the refrigerator coils, washing the walls and backsplash, hosing out the garbage can, deep clean the oven, clean all small appliances and light fixtures, as well as scrubbing the tile grout.

This might make for a long day, but keeping your kitchen looking great and working efficiently will be well worth the effort.

Schedule Heating System Maintenance

With cold weather right around the corner, you’ll want to make sure the heating system is in proper condition to keep you warm throughout the winter. We recommend hiring an HVAC specialist to perform a thorough inspection to ensure there are no problems that need to be addressed.

Make sure to research more online to learn how to prepare your HVAC system for fall.

Schedule a Chimney Cleaning

Chimney cleaning is another important service you’ll want to schedule with a professional. Making sure that your chimney is clean is a huge safety issue.

Repair Walkways, Stairs, and Drive

When the weather turns cold and icy, walking even the shortest distance can be treacherous. So it’s a smart idea to inspect your driveway and stairs for cracks, and also make sure that all handrails are solid so that you can hold on tight while navigating outside your home.

Any cracks in your driveway or sidewalks need to be fixed before the harsh winter weather conditions arrive. Ice and snow will seep into these cracks and expand, causing the cracks to grow even bigger, causing more damage that can result in costly repairs.

Inspect the Weatherstripping

Believe it or not, you can greatly reduce your monthly energy costs by simply making sure that you have adequate weatherstripping around your doors and windows.

To see if weatherstripping is needed, hold a candle around the edges of any door or window and see if a draft makes the flame move. This would be a sure sign of warm air escaping and cold air entering your home.

Weatherstripping is inexpensive and available at any hardware or home improvement store.

Another tip to keep the cold out is to apply caulk around the perimeter of windows and doors, both inside and outside. Having a good seal around these areas will prevent wasting energy and save money. It will also help to keep you toasty warm.

Clean Your Dryer Vent

This one might sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised to learn how many people fail to clean out their dryer vent on a regular basis. This not only causes your dryer to operate less efficiently, but it is also a fire hazard.

Rake Your Leaves

As autumn arrives, leaves will begin falling. And while this is obviously one of the most beautiful times of the year, those leaves covering your lawn actually inhibit spring growth if left there to rot over the winter months.

Raking leaves can feel like an annoying chore, but the fresh air will do your body good, and come springtime you’ll be glad that you made the effort and your lawn will look great!

Clean and Store Outdoor Furniture

Most people don’t do as much entertaining outside on the patio or deck during winter months. So there isn’t much reason to leave patio furniture outside to be exposed to the nasty, freezing elements like snow, rain, and wind.

Take the time to clean all of your patio tables, chairs and umbrellas, and even your grill, and store them somewhere dry until spring arrives.

You’d also be wise to clean and put away gardening tools that won’t be needed until the weather warms up.

Getting Your Home Ready for Winter

Fall home maintenance is an important part of being a homeowner. This checklist might seem like a headache, but it can prevent even bigger headaches from developing as the weather turns cold.

Using these home tips is a great way to prepare your home for winter so that you and your family can stay warm during even the most severe outdoor conditions.

Click here to see 10 ways to make your home instantly cooler without air conditioning.

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