Winter is coming and is sure to bring plenty of cold and blustery weather. Before it gets here, though, you need to take some time to winterize your home and prepare it for the cold. Winterizing your home is a project that will make your house more cozy during the winter months and save you a little money over the long haul. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
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Tips to Help You Winterize Your Home
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Reverse Your Ceiling Fans
Switch the direction of your ceiling fans to counter clockwise to send warm air that rises to your ceiling down into the living area. This simple tip to help you winterize your home can save big bucks on your electric bill.
Put Draft Stops At Doors
Dodge drafts coming in around the bottom of your exterior doors. Make your own draft stops by sewing long tubes of fabric. Tie one end then fill the tube with dry rice or beans or sand. Tie the other end then put in place at the bottom of your door to keep cold air out and warm air in. Don’t have time to make them? You can find a variety of them on Amazon.
Hang Heavier Curtains or Drapes
It can be pretty cold around your windows so one thing you need to do is bump up the covering to keep the cold air out. Hang heavier drapes or curtains at your windows to provide more insulation against the cold air that seeps in around windows.
Put Plastic Over Windows
If heavier curtains are not an option, invest a few dollars in window weatherizing kits. These kits contain double sided tape and plastic sheeting and are meant to go over your windows on the inside of your home. You put the plastic in place then use a hair dryer to get the wrinkles out. The plastic creates an air pocket that helps keep the heat in and the cold out. These kits cost just a few dollars and one kit can usually insulate several windows.
Seal Up Cracks With Caulk or Weather Stripping
Check your home over for cracks, especially around windows and doors. Use caulk or weather stripping to seal up those cracks and make your home a little more airtight against the cold.
Change Furnace Filters
Ideally, you need to change your furnace filters every 30 days. When you are sealing up your house and getting everything buttoned up for winter is as good a time as any to make sure the filters are clean and fresh.
Have Your Furnace Checked by a Professional
Before you start using your furnace, make an appointment with a professional HVAC technician. The technician can inspect your furnace and make sure it is in working order and safe for use.
Test Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarm is in good working order. Test everything and replace batteries as necessary. Take a little time to run through a drill with your family about what to do if they hear an alarm go off.
Take the time to winterize your home will help keep you cozier during the cold months and keep your house in better working order. You will appreciate the improved warmth and the lower utility bills.
Do you have any other tips on how to winterize your home? Share them in the comments!
Great tips! I remember having to do a few of these when I used to live in NY. Heat costs could get very expensive!
I’ve done a couple of the things on the list but never though about the plastic over the windows. We have a couple of windows that would work really well with that. Thanks for the tips!
Winterizing your home is so important. It’s all about the conservation of energy which I support.
I remember doing all of these when I lived up north. In Houston I now only use one. Switching the direction of the fan. It is such an easy thing to do that makes the room much more cozier!
We installed the heavier drapes on our big windows. They were costly but turned out to be oh so worth the investment!