Winter is officially here in just a few weeks, but many of us have already had our first encounter with Jack Frost. Although this season may be beautiful and filled with holidays that bring us warmth, it shouldn’t be overlooked for its ability to cause damage around the home. Snow can be pretty harsh on your possessions and landscape if you don’t take the proper precautions before the season hits you full force. Although you may believe these cautionary steps to be pricey, there’s ways around the huge bills that will help prevent even bigger bills in the future. So, check out these ten tips to see if there’s any way you can save money on preventing and dealing with the snow and ice this winter.
1. Keep Your Lawn Mowed
Sure, everyone looks forward to when the weather cools and the grass seems to stop growing. Although it’s nice to get a break from mowing the lawn, you may want to go ahead and give it one last mow before the big freeze hits you. Although your grass may be dormant, long grass under the snow can bring you a lot of problems as winter transforms into spring. With all of the moisture on the ground, there’s a pretty good chance your grass could develop mold. This isn’t just bad for the grass, but can be bad for you too. Mold can irritate allergies within the household and could even cause illness. It also draws in pests which is another time consuming and expensive problem to get rid of. So, keep your grass short so you don’t have to worry about replanting, fumigating or fighting off sneezes as the seasons change.
2. Clean the Gutters
Although it’s pretty easy to overlook the gutters before winter hits, this chore should always be on your must do list before winter officially sets in. Cleaning gutters is pretty boring and, let’s face it, hard work. Don’t put if off though because it could lead to come major problems as the season progresses. For starters, you don’t want the stuff in your gutters to freeze. As the snow begins to pile onto of the already dirty gutters it will begin to weight them down which could cause your gutters to break or fall. On top of being too heavy, you’re going to want the snow on your roof to melt in order to relieve pressure off the roof. If the gutters are full then the water isn’t going to be able to move as quickly off of the home. It can also drip onto your stairway, porch or sidewalk which is dangerous for anyone that doesn’t realize how slippery the area is.
3. Be Eco Friendly
Getting ice off of your sidewalk and driveways can be frustrating, but it can also be damaging to your plant life. When you use salts, litters and de-ice materials on the sidewalk these components melt into your yard and cause damage to your plant life. When spring comes around you could be looking at a whole new project that might put you in the hole with money. Instead of using these items to get rid of the problem try using items that won’t harm the environment. For instance, you can easily use birdseed or sand to help you gain traction in these areas. Plain shoveling is also one of the best ways to get rid of snow and ice around the home. You may also want to check online for homemade remedies that help melt ice away. Usually these items can be found around the home which will save you even more money!
4. Roof Inspection
Your roof is the key component to keeping your family warm and dry during the winter months, so it’s up to you to make sure it’s in the best condition for the season. Before the storms set in make sure your roof is inspected. You can probably get a good deal on this service locally, but if you’re looking to maximize savings you can also do it yourself. Simply check out the roof and make sure all of the shingles are firmly in place. This will help prevent leaks and will also hold up better to heavy snow that may end up spending a day or two on the roof. If everything is in order then you’re set to go for the season, if not then you should be able to fix the loose shingles yourself at a fair price. During the winter you may want to check the roof periodically to ensure wind hasn’t messed with the shingles. You should also do routine checks for heavy snow that may need to be raked off of the roof to prevent damage.
5. Remove Snow
Although it’s pretty cold outside, one of the best ways you can avoid expensive damage to the home is to get outside and remove snow as much as possible. Keeping your sidewalks and driveway snow free will help make the home safer and will also make it easier for you leave for work in the mornings. You should remember to remove snow from the roof whenever possible. You can buy a special rake for this task, but sometimes a regular rake will do the trick. This will avoid leaks and potential cave ins during the winter months. Of course, one of the most important things to do is keep snow away from the foundation of the home. Many people forget all about this but it can become a pricey problem. As the snow begins to melt, the large piles surrounding your home have to go somewhere. Often, this means the water is going to flow into your basement or around your foundation, thus causing flooding and potential rotting. So, avoid this scenario altogether by pushing the snow away whenever you can.
6. Prune
Plants don’t often have an easy time when it comes to the winter months. Instead of just leaving them alone before the ice hits you may want to do a little pruning to help with the transition. Often, bushes have a hard time bearing the cold and thus end up getting sick or frostbitten which makes it harder for them to grow in the spring. Some bushes don’t have a problem surviving the cold but may end up becoming a home to animals you might not want living near your children. By cutting down the access on these plants you’ll be able to avoid both problems. One of the bigger issuess with not pruning has to do with trees though. When it snows or freezes over a lot of tree branches can’t handle the weight, thus forcing them to break off. Unfortunately, the beaks can damage the roof, cars, power lines and may even put the family in danger. So, make sure to trim down weaker branches so you don’t have to worry about major damage throughout the icy months.
7. Pools
Having your own pool can be amazing, but if you don’t know how to take care of it during the winter you may be in for a big nightmare. Pools that are in the ground tend to be a lot easier to care for, but above ground pools can be severely damaged by the change in weather. You will want to get a winter pool cover no matter what kind of pool you have though. This will help keep the pool safer and will prevent anyone from getting in the pool water when it’s freezing cold. If you do have an above ground pool then you need to be sure to remove some of the water from the pool. A full pool can mean the foundation will snap, thus leaving your pool unusable when it is warm enough to swim. Before a storm hits make sure your water levels are much lower than they would normally be. However, if your pool is already frozen then leave it be as anything you do could make it worse. The only time it is safe to touch a frozen pool is when there is a fresh coat of snow on top of it, but you should do this with the utmost care.
8. Insulate the Attic
Believe it or not, but your attic’s insulation makes a huge difference as to how your home is going to deal with the snow outside. In fact, a well-insulated attic actually helps melt the snow on your roof so you won’t have to worry about it caving in. This is because the attic pushes heat onto the roof, which helps get rid of the unwanted snow and ice much faster. The attic will also keep the home warmer which is a lot better for your power bills. If you’ve noticed your home isn’t staying warm and the snow on your roof is pretty much staying put then it may be time to investigate your attic. If it turns out the attic’s insulation is sub-par then there’s a lot of ways you can fix the problem without spending a fortune. Simply look online for some home solutions and you’ll be set until you can get the money together to properly insulate the attic. Typically in the summer months this is a lot cheaper, so your home remedy should help you save even more money.
9. Cars
Fighting with your car first thing in the morning can be one of the worst aspects of winter. Scraping ice from the window shield is never anyone’s idea of a good way to start the day and may even cause some damage to the windows or your paint job if you’re not careful. Instead of attacking the car with a scraper and wasting money on anti-ice products you may want to try a few other ways to get rid of the ice. For starters, you can go out a bit early and turn on the car. Run the heater and defogger at full blast with all the doors and windows shut. This can easily be worked into your routine, or you can do it while you’re shoveling snow away from your tires. After a few minutes you should be able to wipe the snow and ice off of your windows so you can leave for work without any extra scraping. Another way to avoid this struggle is to place an old sheet over your window shield. When you go out in the morning simply lift the sheet and the ice and snow will come off with it.
10. Insurance Policy
One of the most important things you can do before winter rolls around is to check your insurance policy. You want to make sure your home is covered for leaks, cave ins, accidents that may happen in the snow and other snow related problems. A lot of companies won’t include this in their package so it is always better to be safe than sorry. You may also want to make sure you’ve followed all the requirements of your insurance company. This will allow you to put in a claim with necessary proof that you did everything to avoid the problem. Thus, your insurance company will have no reason but to provide you with the money for your claim. You may also want to make sure your car is covered properly and you have road side assistance for these dangerously cold months.
Winter time doesn’t have to be your enemy if you find yourself prepared for its bitter cold. With these tips you should be able to prevent damage without having to spend a small fortune. Now, you can bundle up and enjoy snow ball fights and other winter activities without having to worry about all of the problems that winter brings along with it.
