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Prepare Your Home for the Winter

Edited by Maria Sharon Ubando, Lynn, Eng, karishma and 1 other

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Home Preparations for Winter

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=preparing your home for winter

Keeping the home clean and stylish should still be possible despite the freezing weather during the winter. But besides style, one should not forget comfort and that homey ambiance. Winter seems romantic for many. It's a perfect time for cuddling or just a quality coffee time with that someone special on a cold afternoon or night. An element of romance can also be added when you are preparing your home for the long winter. Also, it is necessary to keep your house warm so that you don't shiver to death from the cold winter air. A lot needs to be done in order for you to have a warm and romantic house. You will also need to prevent dust from entering the house. If your house is on the ground then, stray animals might launder around in the hope of shelter. Some might go off to sleep in your veranda. Thus, you need to prepare in such manner that you don't let them in nor do you have to turn them away. A lot has to be done in anticipation of winter and you better get started when there is time. So how do you achieve all these? Read more and you'll know how to.

Home Preparations for Winter

1
Inspect Your Furnace
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When the furnace is clogged, it will not function efficiently, and this will mean higher energy consumption. Have an HVAC expert check your furnace. Moreover, you are going to use that furnace a lot in winter. Hence, it is necessary that you have it all checked. You do not want a last minute disaster, do you? Hence, it is best to be all geared up and ready for winter well in advance. Checking your furnace is the most basic step to preparing your house for winter. For, you just cannot keep it warm without the furnace.

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2
Check for Leaks
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Inspect your home for possible leaks, like in the bathroom, kitchen and basement. When you find leaks, fix them with insulating foam sealant. For smaller leaks, you can use caulk to fix them. Leaks may be O.K now but you might end up with frozen pipes and/or melting gush of water in your home once the snow is gone. You obviously don't want something like that either. Therefore, block all the leaks with a rubber seal or any other kind of seal. Make sure the seal is tight enough to not come off from the impact of the snow. In areas where it doesn't snow, a rubber seal will do just fine.

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3
Don't Leave Pipes to Freeze
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Wrap pipes with a foam insulation blanket to prevent water from freezing. They are available in hardware shops and are easy to use. Seals aren't enough for preventing from the damages of freezing. It is necessary to take as much precautions as possible from freezing itself. This way you will be safe from freezing if the weather isn't all that harsh in the winter. However, even if you have taken the precautions, make sure that you have a plan B if your pipe freezes. Have water in store so that you aren't left crying later on.
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4
Get More Insulated
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Inspect the whole house for any places which need additional insulation. While you work on keeping your place warm in winter, you can also go ahead and be environmentally conscious by using nature friendly insulation. You might have insulated all the leakages but you never know if you miss out on a spot. Hence, keep enough packages handy so that if at all a calamity is seen occurring, it can be saved in the nick of time. Thus, keep lots and lots of insulators handy.

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5
Go for Gas
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A fireplace becomes the favorite spot in the house during winter but when you opt for the traditional wood fireplace, more energy is consumed. (not to forget additional air pollution). If you have been using propane heating, you may want to change to a gas log. It is also a great idea to go for natural fire. Light fire on a single or double piece of wooden log and enjoy the warmth of the fireplace with a book in your hand. Aren't we all reminded of the 19th century?
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6
Clean the Chimney
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The chimney gets real busy in winter. When you burn wood, gases are formed and emitted, producing creosote which is flammable. You have to always look at the safety of everyone at home. While the fire place is a fantastic place to receive some warmth at, do not forget the chimney. The chimney obviously receives a lot of flak during the winter and must get ugly as hell. It is necessary to clean the chimney time and again during and before the winter.

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7
Reverse Your Ceiling Fan
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There is a reverse switch on ceiling fans where it allows the blades to have a counter clockwise turn. A clockwise blade movement raises warm air thus producing more heat for the home. For, if a clockwise moving fan can circulate cold air, an anti-clock wise rotating fan will circulate hot air around your house and make it warmer and warmer. Hence, when winter is on the on-set, reverse your ceiling fan so that it isn't too cold for you once the winter has properly set in. If your furnace is on and the fan is moving in the reverse direction, you are more than prepared for the oncoming winter.
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8
Check Your Gutters
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Make sure it is cleaned and free from damages before heavy snow comes. Home repairs can be very hard when it is snowing outside so get them fixed before winter arrives. You don't want to get into such murky things once the winter has properly set in and most of the Gutters are frozen. Hence, get the drainage and the sewage cleaned well in time so that winter is a spic and span time for you. Moreover, if the Gutters are clogged underneath the snow, it is going to be problematic for you. Hence, check into things in advance.

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9
Move the Furniture
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Have a little sprucing up in your home's interior. Make it cozier by pulling some pieces of the furniture closer to the fireplace. To finish the effect, you may want to add some throw pillows made of fleece to warm everyone. There is nothing like a cosy closeness with you and your family or love one in the winter. Also, moving your furniture close together and keeping it close-knit will help in increasing the warmth of the house, practically as well as romantically. One doesn't cozy up with their family everyday, after all.
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10
Seal Windows Tightly
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Air leakage on windows can be fixed with the use weather stripping. Application is easy, so you can do it by yourself. Just be sure to follow the directions properly. You don't want the freezing snowy air enter into your house. Hence, in order to prevent those, seal the gaps in the windows as well. You could make a very small hole in one of the doors or windows for the purpose of ventilation. That will save you the trouble of a clogged house.
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11
Get the warmer bed sheets, sofa covers out
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Some clothing materials are such that they give away warmth. Use a quilt or a blanket on your bed as well as your sofa. So, not only does a visitor feel warm and nice inside your house. It also adds a romantic feel and the people in your house shall be able to feel the warmth as well. Hence, take out all the fancy bed covers that you have been stocking away all this while and put them to some actual use. Of course, make sure that you have got enough quilts and blankets to wear as well.
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