Your Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

Every season brings with itself some benefits and drawbacks. When summer starts winding down, it’s time to make full use of the autumn. While summer is all about having fun and enjoying the outdoors, autumn is that transitional period where you get to prepare for the harshness of winter. Preparing for autumn is just as important, though. The weather conditions can also be pretty harsh on your garden and backyard. Here are some things you should do to get your home ready for the autumn.

 Home Maintenance Checklist Guidence

1.      Keep your shrubs healthy

Autumn is all about leaves. Trees and bushes start losing them and they quickly pile up. They come in many colours when they hit the floor. They will range from yellow to dark brown, with some interesting colours in-between. It’s nice to look at, but it might not be good for your lawn.

These leaves stop your lawn from breathing. You can’t expect to have a lush and gorgeous lawn come spring if you don’t give it some space to breathe. This is why it’s so important to rake your leaves. It stops them from rotting away on the ground. Leaves attract many insects and pests which feed on them. Once they’re in your backyard, it’s only a short way to reach your home. Prevent this by taking away their main food source.

If you want to use those leaves, you can always create a compost pile for your garden. They won’t do damage if they’re only rotting away in a small corner, waiting to be utilized. It can be a good source of nutrients for your garden in spring.

3.      Clean the gutters, downspouts, and drains

With all the leaves going around, it’s no surprise that the gutters and downspouts tend to have problems. The sheer number of leaves will leave them clogged very fast. Not to mention, autumn rains are pretty harsh, which means your home will need those elements to stay protected. A bunch of clogged drains might cause the roof to spring a leak.

Speaking of rain, the increased amount of water might put pressure on your plumbing. This can cause leaks and overflowing water in your bathroom and kitchen. You should look into getting a quick leaky taps repair before you end up with a flood on your hands. It might seem like a small issue when it starts out, but it can quickly balloon into a huge problem.

Break up ice dams as they form on your roof. These are usually formed before you clean up the leaves and they can persist well after. Ice dams are some of the most common reasons for roof leakage, so try to get rid of them as soon as possible.

4.      Put the outdoor stuff under covers

Summer is mostly on its last breaths, so spending time on the patio is becoming less and less comfortable. The rain and cold temperatures might have something to do with it. At some point, you’re going to stop spending time there, so it’s time to prepare it for the incoming harsh conditions.

Your furniture might not do well with being left out in the rain. Covering it with a tarp works during those short summer rains, but it might not be a viable long-term solution for the autumn and winter. It would be better if you simply put furniture away in your shed or garage. Keep it safe and under wraps, so that moisture and dust don't get to it. It's a lot easier than dealing with a full cleaning and reupholstering when spring rolls around.

5.      Seal holes where rodents could enter

Any rodents, mice need only a tiny small hole, gaps to sneak into your house and with colder weather coming, all of the little critters out there will be looking for warm places to make a home. Thus do not forget to fill those holes and with heavy-duty hardware cloth to keep the wildlife outdoors.

6.      Shut off exterior faucets and coil, store hoses

Do protect your expensive pipes from bursting by shutting off water to exterior faucets before the weather dips below freezing. Drain hoses and coil, then store them indoors.

7.      Call heating system checkup and chimney cleaning Contractors 

Do clean your chimney and furnace or boiler, keep them perfect working condition before you need to turn on the heat. Also be sure to add a chimney cap if you don’t already have one so that rodents, critters can not crawl down your chimney.

Conclusion

Autumn is a wonderful and colourful season that is worth enjoying without stress. You need to take care of a few things here and there to make this happen. Most autumn home maintenance isn’t all that demanding. Clear a few leaves, keep everything clean, and you should be ready to deal with autumn. Follow some of these tips and your home will be ready for yet another season.