Easy Home Maintenance Jobs to Do in the Winter
When it comes to the longevity of your property, putting in a small amount of effort can go a rather long way!
Ensure Your Home Is Draught Proof
During the winter, the last thing you want is for the warm air in your home to escape through cracks and crevices in doors, windows and walls.
Our number one tip to prevent this is to invest in some fantastic quality aluminium windows from the Heritage Window Company. These maintain the original look of your property yet also have all of the benefits of modern glazed windows, with A rated energy efficiency, preventing heat loss and saving you money on your energy bills!
As well as this, make sure the existing seals on windows and doors aren’t broken and fix them if they are.
For a quick fix to drafty rooms, fit doors with draft excluders to keep your rooms warm. Don’t forget about letter boxes too, for which draught excluders are also available.
Check Boilers, Radiators and Fire Alarms
Though boilers, radiators and fire alarms are important all year round, they are particularly important in the winter. Boilers and radiators are vital because they add warmth to your home to combat the cold weather outside, and fire alarms are even more so as there is a higher chance of fires occurring in the winter due to an increased usage of electricity, candles and log fires.
Have your boiler serviced to check it is working and is set to the correct pressure, bleed your radiators so that they run efficiently and heat up more quickly, and regularly check your fire alarms to make sure that they are functioning correctly.
Clean the Chimney
Now, not everyone has a chimney in their home, but if you do, there are a couple of options in terms of maintenance.
If you are planning on lighting fires, now is the best time to do so, but you should use a chimney brush to clean out the chimney before you do so.
If you won’t be using your chimney for this purpose, then leaving it open can allow cold air to sneak into your home. Consider buying a chimney balloon to prevent warm air getting out and cold air getting in.
Pipe Insulation
Every winter we hear about someone whose pipes have burst – don’t let it happen to you! Insulate your pipes! Cheap pipe insulation is available in most DIY shops and though there are special elbow joint insulating materials to help you insulate bends and corners, you can also just tape regular pipe insulation to bends and corners.
This technique works well for pipes in your loft as well as those on an outdoor tap system.
Increase Security
As it starts to get darker earlier, burglars are presented with more opportunities to get into our homes, so it’s important to increase security in and around your property in the winter months.
The aluminium windows offered by the Heritage Window Company are an excellent way to do this as they are built with the highest security and safety standards.
You should also check that all of your door and window locks work and fit any sheds, garages and outbuildings with locks.
If you still don’t feel safe, it may be time to invest in a security alarm system or a security camera.
Clear Out Your Gutters
It’s not all about maintaining the interior of your home as winter cold, wind, rain and snow can also affect the exterior of our buildings. One way is by filling our gutters, downpipes and drains with leaves, twigs and other debris.
To prevent this, simply make sure you clean out your rainwater system regularly!
This will stop the system leaking which, if it happened, could allow water to seep into your home, creating structural damage or damp which might even lead to health problems for you and your family.
The Perfect Time for Gardening?
You may not imagine that getting out the gardening gloves at this time of year is the best idea, however it is good to trim trees and hedges in the winter to remove dead or weak branches that might blow over to your home and cause damage to windows or brickwork.
You can also spend your time outdoors by checking for weaknesses in your fencing or gates and fixing theses where necessary. The harsh weather will more than likely turn these weaknesses into breakages which will be far more difficult to repair.
This may also be a good time to consider purchasing a water butt. Not only will this aid in the collection of rainwater, making the winter easier on your rainwater system, but it will also mean that you can take advantage of the weather to collect enough water to water your plants in the spring and summer.
The winter is the best time to be on top of maintenance tasks as the cold, rain and generally more harsh weather conditions are the most damaging. Little things like buying a draught excluder for your door, clearing out your gutters and replacing old drafty windows with new aluminium ones will reduce your heating bills as well as your chances of costly repairs in the future, allowing you to keep your home in great condition all year round.