Page 6 THE BLOCK ISLAND TIMES • House & Garden Edition • Fall 2018
Tasks to tackle before winter arrives Prep your home for its arrival while it's still nice outside.
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By Kari Curtis The days are getting shorter, and the nights are getting cooler. Yep, it’s official: Fall is here. Now’s the time to finish up any last-minute maintenance projects and get your home and yard ready for the months to come. Exterior prep 1. Clean out the gutters — No one loves this job, but it needs to be done annually. A few hours of work can prevent big problems later on. While you’re up on that ladder, visually inspect your roof for damaged shingles, flashing or vents. You can also inspect the chimney for any missing mortar and repair it by tuck-pointing, if needed. 2. Turn off outdoor plumbing — Drain outdoor faucets and sprinkler systems, and cover them to protect them from the freezing weather to come. 3. Start composting — If you don’t already have compost bins, now’s the time to make or get some. All those accumulated autumn leaves will bring you gardening gold next summer! 4. Clean outdoor furniture and gardening tools — It may not yet be time to put them away, but go ahead and clean your outdoor furniture and gardening tools so they’re ready for storage over the winter. 5. Plant bulbs for spring-blooming flowers — Plant bulbs in October, as soon as the soil has cooled down, to reap big rewards next spring. If you’ve never planted bulbs before, select a spot in your yard that gets full sun during the day. Interior prep 1. Prepare your furnace for winter duty — Consider getting your furnace professionally serviced in time for the cold season. At the minimum, though, visually inspect your furnace and replace the furnace filter before turning it on for the first time. 2. Clean the fireplace and chimney Clean out the fireplace, inspect the flue, and ensure the doors and shields are sound. Have the chimney professionally
swept if needed. Now’s also the time to stock up on firewood! 3. Keep the warm air inside and the cold air outside — Inspect your windows and doors. Check weather-stripping by opening a door, placing a piece of paper in the entryway and closing the door. The paper should not slide back and forth easily. If it does, the weather stripping isn’t doing its job. Also, now’s the time to recaulk around windows and door casings, if needed. 4. Light the way — Bring as much light into your home as you can for the colder, darker months. To accentuate natural light, clean your windows and blinds, especially in rooms that get a lot of sunlight. Add lighting to darker spaces with new lamps. And consider replacing traditional incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs. 5. Create a mudroom — Even if you don’t have a dedicated mudroom in your home, now’s a good time to think about organizing and stocking an entryway that will serve as a “mudroom” area for cold and wet weather. Put down an indooroutdoor rug to protect the floor. A fun and rewarding weekend project is to build a wooden shoe rack, coat rack or storage bench for your entryway. 6. Home safety check — Replace the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide monitors. A good way to remember to do this is to always replace the batteries when you change the clock for daylight saving time. The BIVFD is a good resource for help with this, if needed. Create a family fire escape plan, or review the one you already have. Put together an emergency preparedness kit so that you are ready for winter power outages. Make sure your storm and flood insurance is up to date on your property, and keep records of valuables in the home with photographs of belongings, furniture and anything of value. Once you finish with your home checklist, you will be ready to enjoy the season.