October 19, 2011

Preparing for Winter

It is getting chilly up here in Minnesota, and now is a great time to get your house ready for winter! If you live in a warm climate, kindly skip this post and go enjoy the heat. For the rest of us, read on for a few simple things you can do to protect your home from the better cold.

1. Insulate all water pipes that run along exterior walls. This will help prevent pipes from freezing and cracking, which is something no one wants to deal with!

2. Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows if necessary. You will save on heating costs and be more comfortable.

3. Purchase any items you will need before that first big storm NOW. If you wait until the snow flies you will be scrambling to find what you need. Salt for the sidewalk, a good shovel, and a scraper for your car window are the big ones. You probably already have these items- if so, dig them out of their summer hibernation spot!

4. Clean out your gutters, cover any fragile plants, and move outdoor furniture/grills inside or in the garage if possible. It is much, much easier to do this before it snows. I am speaking based on experience here!

Do you have other winter prep tips? If so, leave them in the comments, or tweet them to us @goodstuffmoving!