Home Maintenance Checklist DC Winter 2023

Winter is here! The chill might have you shivering in your boots, but your home shouldn't. We're here to help you feel confident in your DC home. Read below our checklists for home exterior winter preparations, indoor winter preparations, and home fire safety. 

Home Exterior Winter Preparations:

Home exterior winter preparations are essential. We want to make sure that the outside of our homes protects the inside of our homes. Follow these tips to prepare your home's exterior for the winter months.

1. Cover or store your outdoor furniture: Allowing rain and snow to sit while it dries leads to rust and damage.
2. Purchase hose bib thermal covers for outdoor water access, turn off outdoor water access, and leave the valve open. Opening the water valve will prevent water accumulated in your pipes from freezing. 
3. Roof Inspection: Ensure that you are not missing any shingles and that your roof is in good condition.
4. Perform last landscaping maintenance: Mow the lawn, clean out gutters, and compost dead annual plants. Winterize by covering them with a secured tarp or store them away from natural elements.

Pro Tip: Clean your garden pots and store them upside down where they can't get wet. Moisture in pots can cause them to expand and break when temperatures drop.

Indoor Winter Preparations:

Indoor preparations are less labor intensive but have benefits that last all winter long.

1. Service your furnace and HVAC twice a year. If you still need to do so, this is the time.
2. Check window and door seals. Ensure the cold air stays outside and your warm air stays inside.
3. Entryway boot tray: Leaving wet boots, umbrellas, and other wet gear at your entry will leave water spots that damage your flooring. Set up a drying station that creates a barrier between the floor and wet shoes. Indoor floormats can soak through. It's best to check that they have a rubber bottom before trusting them.
4. Store snow removal tools and gear: These items include proper outdoor attire, shovels, car scrappers, and bags of ice melt ready to go and easily accessible. 

Pro Tip: Don't go cheap on sidewalk salt. Cheap salt will kill your grass and is not safe for pets. We like Safe Step Sur Paws from Ace Hardware. 

5. For Washington DC-specific winter preparedness, visit the ready.dc.gov website, and for the Districts snow plan and response, go to snow.dc.gov.

Fire Safety in the Winter:

We go into depth on fire safety in a previous blog but considering more than half of home fires start by a heating element during the holiday season; we're ok with being repetitive. Here are a few critical home maintenance tips regarding fire safety in the winter.

1. Have your chimney serviced before the first use.
2. Clean out dryer vents: In the winter, we wash and dry a higher quantity of clothes and blankets, leading to more lint. It's essential to check your dryer for proper ventilation and removal of lint buildup. 
3. Never leave heating elements such as cooking, candles, space heaters, and fires unattended. 
4. Inspect electric holiday decorations and placement to avoid flammable contacts such as lights and curtains. Turn off holiday lights while you are asleep to conserve energy.

Pro Tip: If you enjoy live garlands, wreaths, and trees as holiday decorations, consider switching to LED lights. They are cool to the touch and will slow down the plant's drying rate. Dried out evergreen trees and clipping burn rapidly. Use extra precautions. 

Conclusion: 

Completing your home maintenance checklist for winter preparation is a crucial task you will want to carve out time to manage. From the home's exterior to the indoors and some extra attention to fire safety, preventative maintenance keeps our homes happy! Happy homes make for happy residents, who cultivate strong, local communities that sustain our city, Washington, DC. We're here to help you do that!

Are your winter preparations underway? Share your tips and tricks with us in the comments!
 

For more happy home content, we suggest checking out our blog on preparing your home before traveling!