With the weather changing there are many things that need to be done before snowfall. This can become stressful and overwhelming if put off too long. Whether it be your car or home maintenance it is important to get started early.
Start today with these tips to clean up your home this fall and also protect it for the coming winter.
- Clean and fix gutters
Cleaning your gutters can help manage where water travels and fixing any leaks will prevent unwanted pooling. Doing this is important so water flows where you want it to, and can prevent leaks in your roof due to backups or ice ponds in inconvenient places that may cause damage or injury.
- Power wash and protect
Power washing your deck and/or house can help prevent buildup of moss or other things that may retain water and cause damage. Leaving moss or leaves sitting on or around your house or deck can allow mold and mildew to grow and deteriorate the fixtures. Power washing your deck and using a weatherproofing stain can help prolong its integrity for many years.
- Clean up debris in your yard
Clean up any sticks or other debris from your yard. This is important for a number of reasons, one being you may find things that were left out that you didn’t know were out there (especially if you have kids or pets). Another reason is later on whether you or someone else is doing leaf cleanup or snow removal, damage can be caused to equipment or to a person that is unaware of the debris.
- Trim trees and bushes
Going off of the last one, trimming trees and bushes can help prevent more debris ending up in your yard. However, trimming trees is also important on its own due to the chance of dead or diseased limbs or trees falling on your property such as your house or car. Weather can cause a number of emergencies so taking care of this early will save you stress, time,and money.
- Mow the lawn
Mowing your lawn one last time in the fall and setting up snow fencing or plow markers will prevent damages and help your lawn thrive in the spring.
- Check pipes and hoses
Drain any hoses or unused piping that wont be used over the cold season. Leaving water to sit can cause damage due to it freezing and expanding. Open unused piping can also allow spaces for animals to nest over the cold season. Lastly and probably most important make sure in use pipes are properly insulated or have heat tape to prevent pipes bursting.
- Clean out your chimney/fireplace
If you don’t use your fireplace very often you might not remember the last time your chimney was cleaned. Soot buildup is very dangerous and causes house fires every year, therefore it is important to keep tabs on.
- Review your insurance
Lastly, review your insurance policy to make sure you and your family are covered for whatever may come. Is there anything new you need to add to the policy? Anything that you no longer have (such as a pool) that you need to take off your policy?
Completing these tips will help prevent disasters, but there is no guarantee, so make sure you keep up not only on your house but also on your insurance. Have a policy that covers you for whatever may come this season and the next. If you need any help feel free to reach out to one of our agents here at John Scott Insurance today to make sure your coverage is right for you.