Now that the weather actually does look a bit like winter, you may be wondering how you can keep your home, property and family safe from all the hazards that winter brings. For some, this means spending a small fortune for inspections, tools and other precautionary methods that aren’t always necessary. There are a few winter tricks you can perform on your property to help keep everyone safe and healthy during the cold season though. With a few DIY and low cost alterations, winter will look a little less scary. Now, you can sit back and comfort of the warmth of your home as you enjoy the beautiful scenery from the window.
1. Use Ice Repellent
One of the biggest hazards during the winter season is the ice that seems to form just about anywhere. Every year thousands of accidents are called in because of falls due to ice. Ice repellent can be a huge life saver to aid in this problem. You can buy the product in stores for a reasonable price, or you can take the DIY road by using cooking spray. Simply spray the repellent on the sidewalk and stairs before it’s supposed to snow, or every night before the temperature drops and you should be set to go for quite some time. Also, you can use this amazing ice repellent to cover your snow shovel. This will make shoveling snow and breaking up ice a bit easier in the wee hours of the morning when you’re trying to get to work. If you have trouble with ice forming on your car, then you might want to stock up on vinegar. This can actually help get rid of the ice in no time, especially on your windows, so you can get back to enjoying the warmth of the heater.
2. Clear Gutters
If there’s one thing that can really destroy your home, it’s definitely the gutters during a freeze. That’s why keeping your gutters clear during the winter is the best way to keep your home safer. If you end up leaving your gutters unattended then the water and leaf combination may end up attracting pests that you don’t want in or around your home. That’s the least of your problems though. You want to make sure that your gutters are free for moving water to flow, so that when it does snow the water won’t be trapped on top of the gutters and roof. This can cause major damage to the home and will leave you struggling to repair the problem when it’s freezing cold. If you need to get rid of ice in the gutters during the cold, then simply fill panty hose with salt and leave it on top of the gutters. It should help eliminate the buildup.
3. Trim Trees
There’s no doubt about it, trees are beautiful. Whether they’re in full bloom or covered in ice, there’s something fantastic about seeing a lovely tree. However, the trees in your yard can be dangerous to you and your family, as well as your property, if you don’t trim them before the winter months. If your tree is older or has thin limbs, then you could be looking at a ticking time bomb. Before it gets too cold, you want to eliminate branches that look as if they won’t be able to hold the weight of the ice. Other branches that should be removed are those that hang over the home, common walk and play areas or other expensive property. This will prevent a limb from breaking off onto your roof or an unsuspecting passerby. With the tree branches prepped for winter, you won’t have to worry about making an insurance claim or paying out of pocket for damages caused by your tree over a long freeze period. Not to mention, you can dry out the branches you do cut and use them as firewood to help cut back on heating costs
4. Watch the Pipes
Another thing you won’t want to deal with in the cold months is a busted pipe. However, this can be a common occurrence if you aren’t careful. If you have outdoor pipes then you may want to cover them in foam in order to protect them during major temperature drops. Most modern homes won’t have this problem though. One key way to avoid the entire problem is to keep your thermostat set at 60 degrees or higher. This will help prevent the pipes from freezing altogether. Of course, if you don’t want to waste a small fortune on heating then leave your tap running slightly. A few drops of water will help cut back on this. If you’re worried about the water then set up a bucket to catch it. You can later use this to flush the toilet, or for other household cleaning purposes. If you do end up with frozen pipes, then use a space heater to warm them before they burst. This should take care of the problem before you have to spend a small fortune to fix the pipes in the home.
5. Generator/Solar Power
Power outages can be a big problem in the winter, especially if your city doesn’t keep trees trimmed near the electric poles. If you don’t want to have to deal with the problems of not having heat in the winter, then you might want to invest in a backup generator. This won’t cost too much to run for a short time and will keep the home warm and lit when you need power the most. Of course, if you’re not cool with keeping your thermostat low then you may want to consider getting solar power. Normally, you won’t have to pay too much extra to keep the house warm using this form of power, unless you like the feeling of living in a sauna. In fact, throughout most of the year, you should be able to spend next to nothing on power thanks to the solar energy. You may even get money back at the end of the year if you use less power than your solar panels produce.
6. Avoid the Dam
When it comes to winter, one of your worst nightmares is the ice dam. If you’ve never heard this term before then it basically refers to an icy nightmare that can really leave you hating winter as your roof caves in. The best thing about ice dams are they’re totally avoidable. One way to avoid the ice dam is unclear gutters, as mentioned before, which offers a few remedies to help avoid full collapse. All the same, one element of the ice dam that people often overlook is the heating in your home. This is where you can really get into trouble. Basically, the heat coming from your home causes the snow on the roof to melt while the ice around the gutters forces the water to stay in place. One way to avoid this problem is to keep your attic cold during the winter months. You may also want to make sure your insulation is working, to help keep heat in the home anyway. If you want to take extra precautions, then use a roof rake to help the snow move off of the roof before it has a chance to melt.
7. Use Weather Stripping
One of the worst parts of winter is dealing with the drafts that the cold wind brings in. This can be a huge problem for your heating bill. One of the worst things about drafts is they help push the warm air in your home up, which could contribute to an ice dam. So, you may want to go around the home and start weather stripping everything before the seriously cold weather begins. This will allow you to cut down on the heat you use, so you can worry less about the electric or gas bills for the home. Luckily, weather stripping doesn’t cost a whole lot and is easy to install on your own.
8. Maintain Car
Keeping up with your car is one of the best things you can do during the winter months. This will not only save you a lot of money, but it will ensure you have a car in case of an emergency. One thing to consider every day is the air pressure in your tires. The cold air can lower the pressure in your tires, which could leave you with a flat if you’re not careful. You should also keep your car fueled up, just in case you need to go somewhere or travel slowly on the roads during an emergency. Keeping the fluids in the car topped off is also a must to prevent damage to the vehicle. Fresh windshield wipers could also be a huge help during the winter months, especially if the area gets a lot of snow. Also, you should keep a first aid kit and flairs in the car in case there is an issue while you’re driving.
9. Check For Safety
This is probably one of the most important aspects of your winter precautions. Since we tend to use natural gas more in this time of the year and the house is primarily closed, it can be quite dangerous. You should make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector and that its batteries are still current, in order to avoid tragic accidents. Another must is to check your fire alarms. It’s always best to replace batteries and do a quick test to make sure they’re running properly. Your fire extinguisher should also be up to date, just in case of an emergency. Apart from that, it might be wise to have your home inspected and fireplace cleaned before you end up building a fire to keep warm.
10. Watch Your Foundation
It might be wise to try to check out the foundation of your home before the snow begins. You should look for cracks or other abnormalities that might become worse over the major storms. These cracks can let in moisture that could do a pretty good number on your home, particularly when it comes to mold. So, if you catch the problem to begin with you should be able to fix it on your own for fairly cheap. In order to prevent constant moisture on your home’s foundation you may want to shovel snow away from the home. Your gutters can also play a huge role in this problem, so keep them clean and in good repair.
Winter can be one of the worst times of the year for home repair, so you may want to avoid dealing with it altogether. These ten tips will help you cut down on the need to constantly monitor your home while adding to the security and frugality of the home. Before you know it, winter will be over and you’ll be able to enjoy a secure home that isn’t in dire need to repair due to the poor weather.
