Fall is a beautiful time of year, and one of my personal favourites. The leaves, the cooler weather, and the feeling of everything starting back up after a stagnant summer. I think it would lose lots of it’s charm if pumpkin wasn’t so freakin’ delicious, because man do I love that stuff! Hand me pumpkin flavoured anything and I’m happy as a clam.
Spring cleaning is something that almost every household engages in. It is essentially just getting your living space ready for summer when you will inevitably have guests and less time to de-clutter and clean up. However, there should also be a preparation for winter in the fall.
Especially if you are a home owner, there are things that you should be looking at doing before the cooler weather comes rolling in. We have recently been in full-blown summer mode, which means yard work, yard work, and more yard work, but since it’s already halfway through the summer, we are starting to prepare for what comes in the fall.
Clean Your Gutters
Summer and spring means road dust, pollen, and plant build up in your gutters. Your gutters don’t get much time to shine in the summer, because things tend to dry up a bit, but as soon as fall comes around most cities experience more precipitation over all. Cleaning out your gutters is a must-do before fall to avoid any mishaps and permanent water damage to your home.
Check Your Furnace Filter
Nobody wants to be caught in the winter without heat, or with a $500 heating bill because of an inefficient heater. Believe it or not, your filter can have a lot to do with the efficiency with which your furnace heats your home. It should be replaced once per year if you have a standard filter.
Clean Your Fireplace
If you have a fireplace, it should be cleaned before the first use. Wood burning fireplaces will need a chimney sweep, and gas fireplaces should be serviced as well. If you have a wood burning fireplace, it’s generally a good idea to have it tested once every few years to ensure that a chimney fire or something of that nature will not happen.
Seed/Fertilize Your Lawn
The best time to seed and fertilize your lawn is in the early spring and in the early fall. This is because you get more rain but still a lot of sunshine during these times of year. It will grow much thicker and better if you do so in the fall, which means that you will have a beautiful lawn next spring and summer.
Outside Maintenance
I’ve recently washed our garage door, repaired some rain screen (okay, I didn’t do that part. That was all my partner), cleaned the outside of the windows, did some paint touch-ups, and J has dug some holes to add some fence posts with concrete.
are all things that we had to do in the summer, when the weather is warmer. Digging holes in cold, or even frozen ground is not realistic. You don’t want to be outside in the cool weather with a hose scrubbing down your garage door (those things get really, surprisingly dirty). Paint doesn’t dry very quickly if the air is slightly cold or damp like it tends to be in the fall and winter.
Go around the perimeter of your home to list what you want to have done before it starts to get cool out.
I love changing seasons, but they do put a timeline on when you can do certain things around your home. Don’t be left in the cold of winter at a standstill because you forgot to get ready.
I’m the type of guy who always likes to plan ahead especially when it comes to home maintenance. I get up on the roof and clean the gutters but it’s amazing how many people don’t. It can create a huge problem if they are backed up. I also have a free downloadable tool on my blog where I track my furnace filters.. when I put it in and how long in between changes so I get a good idea when and how long I am using them. Some people simply forget and that can cause many problems as well. Great post
I am having our furnaces serviced next month for our home and rental properties. I had so many summer projects to get done around here and got only a few of them done. I am *hoping* to get a few things done this fall!
my yard absolutely needs some TLC here in the next few weeks.. I need to repair a busted sprinkler head and to aerate and re-seed a portion of the yard.
it isnt always easy to take on projects like that when you have little ones at home.
I love fall for a lot of different reasons, but one of them is not the yard work. It is however one of those things that needs to be done before winter hits.
This is a great list! It definitely just reminded me that we need to clean our gutters…
Replacing your filters (A/C and furnace) is important year round. That is the only one I need to do on a regular basis, since I have an HOA take care of the other stuff.
Phew, I lived in Texas for 8 years and had murderous summers and bitter cold winters. Now, I live in San Diego and in a perpetual state of bliss! Ha, I’m glad I don’t have to deal with this anymore! I will say, this is a good reminder to fertilize my grass…
I miss the seasons here, it is hot all year, sometimes it rains, sometimes it doesn’t but every day looks the same. I know I sound like a spoiled kid, but fall is really beautiful. Don’t miss winter though!
I’m not a fan of winter, either, Pauline. But where are you currently based?
I just can’t wait for summer to be over for fall is my favorite season. And thanks for these great tips, Daisy.
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