Tips to prepare your home for autumn

Autumn in the home

As autumn will officially start soon, it’s finally time to say bye to summer. It’s also time to think about getting your home prepared for the coming months. Learn more about which tasks you can get ahead on, after all it’s better to be prepared than not!


Check rooms for draughts

Window

When it’s cold and pouring rain outside, you don’t want to be inside in a room with a draught. Check for draughts around windows, doors, loft hatches, electrical fittings, between floorboards and other areas where there are accidental gaps in your home that lead outside. Draught-proofing also means your home will be more energy efficient as heating it will use less energy, saving you money.

Put outdoor furniture away

Outdoor furniture

Sitting in the sun and alfresco dining is definitely reserved for spring and summer and perhaps the odd warm autumn day. Protect your outdoor furniture from the elements by putting away inside your garage or shed and if you can’t do that, invest in some waterproof covering. Give furniture a quick clean before putting away so it’s in a good condition for next year.

Fix cracks in your driveway

Cracks in driveway

You might have already done this earlier in the year to keep your driveway looking its best. However if there are any cracks that have developed over the course of the year, it’s better to fill them in now before water fills them in, freezes and then cracks. This can result in having an even bigger crack than before so tackle the problem now when it’s manageable.

Boiler maintenance

Checking boiler controls

It’s far too early for the heating to be on right? When the days start getting colder eventually you will put the central heating back on. Remember to check your boiler/ central heating system and boiler pressure and get the boiler serviced if it is due. It’s important to do this for safety but also to identify any potential issues that may arise. If you do experience issues ask a professional.

Prepare your floors

Doormat with shoes

Inevitably the autumn weather will mean that you end up bringing some of the outside, inside, on shoes and coats. Protect floors and hallways by placing doormats by doors to wipe shoes on as you walk in, brush dirt off the mats regularly too. It’s also worth putting any summer shoes away to stop them getting dirty when putting your other shoes away.

Test home security

As the nights will start to get darker earlier, making sure your home is protected is even more important. Test your home alarm system to make sure it’s working correctly and if you can, place deterrents like a dummy camera and even real cameras to deter intruders. Also test your smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm too if you have one but make a point of testing these regularly for safety.

Clean your rain gutters

Cleaning the rain gutter

Not the most glamorous of tasks but an important one nonetheless to prevent damage to your home. Ideally you should keep gutters maintained regularly but this can easily fall off the cleaning radar! Don’t leave it till late autumn either as the gutter will become clogged with leaves. Make sure you wear gloves and the right shoes/ clothing and use a sturdy ladder and remember safety first.

As well as preparing your home for autumn, giving your appliances some TLC is also important to keep them working efficiently, learn more in our 5 common appliance maintenance mistakes blog.

Tags: , , , ,

Leave a Reply