Winter is the most magical time of year. The cozy nights and crisp days offer the perfect opportunity to check that your home is in tip-top shape and ready for the colder months. Take a look at these winter home tips to find out how you can maintain and prepare your home for the winter season.
Home Maintenance Winter Checklist
When we think about preparing our homes for the winter, we often focus on the exterior of the house. We cover the pool, turn off the sprinklers, and put away the patio furniture. These outdoor activities are essential to keeping our homes safe and sound during the colder months, but don’t forget to follow winter home tips indoors as well.
This winter checklist will help you identify the key parts of your home to watch in the winter.
Reverse Ceiling Fans
You may not know this, but you can run your ceiling fan clockwise or counterclockwise. In winter, you should turn your fan clockwise to help keep the warm air from rising too high in your home. This is especially important if you have high ceilings and lose a lot of warmth.
How do you get started with this winter home tip? Most fans have a small switch on the outside of the fan. If you can’t find it there, it may be inside the cover. Change the direction and feel the difference!
Add Floor Mats to Entryways
Winter is well underway, which means the entrance to your home is covered in piles of thick coats and wet shoes. As well as giving you more mess to clean up, mud, ice, and salt from your winter clothes is bad news for your floors. Instead of letting your floors get damaged, invest in floor mats for your entryway.
Place one mat inside and one mat outside for the best results. As people enter your home, they can rub the mud and ice off their shoes on the outside mat and then leave their shoes on the inside mat. The mats will also catch any rain or snow that falls off their coats. The fun part about this winter home tip is that you can pick out beautiful mats that will reinforce your decor!
Plus: Check out our Favorite Winter Interior Design Trends here
Look for Air Leaks
If you’re feeling a draft, a key part of your winter checklist should be finding and fixing any air leaks in your home. Drafts can make your home feel less comfortable and they’ll also make your heating less efficient, costing you extra money.
Pay close attention to windows and doors. You can fill these gaps with caulk and weather-stripping. Got a crack in a foundational wall or around faucets and air vents? Be sure to seal these cracks, as they may be letting in air. If you’re still feeling cold, you can also look into improving the insulation in your home.
Keep Your Heating in Check
Heating is a non-negotiable in the winter. It keeps you warm and prevents frozen pipes, which can bring your home to a standstill. Make sure your thermostat is set so that the heat does not fall below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. While it may seem like a luxury to always have the heat on, this winter home tip can save you money. That’s because your heating system has to work much harder to bring your house back up to a warm temperature after being turned off.
No matter how you heat your home, your winter checklist should include the maintenance of your heating system. Gas heating systems can be checked every three years, but oil heating systems should be cleaned and maintained annually. If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace in your home, be sure to get it checked by a professional, too. That goes for coal-burning fireplaces and gas fireplaces!
Plus: Check out our Modern Fireplace Decorating Ideas here
Check Smoke Alarms
During the winter months, heating equipment is the leading cause of fires in the home. It’s critical that your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order at this time of year.
Follow this winter home tip by making sure you have a smoke detector in every room of your house. Check the batteries and functionality of each detector. You should do this every month, but especially during the cold months when you’re more reliant on heating equipment, such as space heaters, central heating, and fireplaces.
What to Purge and Update This Winter
Some items in the home need to be maintained over the winter months, but other things should go all together! The beginning of the year is a great time to reflect on what you really need in life and cut down on the clutter. Prepare your home for winter by refreshing these commonly forgotten items.
Plus: Check out our Ultimate Living Room Decluttering List here
Old Winter Clothes
We’ve all got that drawer of odd gloves and ragged scarfs we’ve kept over the years. You may even have a box or closet filled with moth-eaten jackets. This winter, if you’re not wearing these items, ask yourself why you’re keeping them!
Our winter tip is to go through all your old winter clothes. You may find some great items that you’d simply forgotten about and can start wearing again. You will probably also find a lot of items you no longer want. These clothes should go to charity and not back in the attic where they aren’t keeping anyone warm.
Tired Linens
Bed sheets and towels can start to look their age after they’ve been washed and used week after week. If you’ve had your linens for more than a few years and they’re looking gray and worn, it’s time to update them. Check with local animal rescue charities to see if they can make use of these items or use them as rags for cleaning or garage work.
The same goes for your comforters and pillows. Pillows should be replaced after one to two years. After that they lose their structural integrity and become less hygienic. If your comforter is old and stained, a wash cycle won’t be enough. Invest in new bed essentials and be sure to find the right items to keep you warm and comfortable this winter.
Outdated Furniture
Nothing prepares a home for winter like a fresh new interior. We spend more time indoors during these months, so why not create a space where you can relax and unwind? If your furniture is sagging, stained, and out of style, you might want to consider updating it for something more comfortable.
Donating furniture that no longer fits your lifestyle is a great way to support the less fortunate. Check with your chosen organization to make sure your furniture is in an acceptable condition, although oftentimes the pieces can be reused in some way.
Once you’ve made space for a new furniture group, look for new pieces that will work with your needs and preferences. Southern Motion offers a wide range of sofas, sectionals, recliners, and accent chairs with the most innovative features. What’s more, the Smart Solutions fabrics prevent stains, wear, and tear, so your stylish pieces last for many more winters. Take a look at all the collections now.
