Checklist: Winter Home Preparation

As we wave goodbye to summer and the cold, crisp air returns, make sure your house is in tip-top condition to avoid any emergencies over the winter period. 24|7 Home Rescue has compiled a simple to-do list to help you prepare for the cold.

• Getting the gutters cleared is a tedious but essential task. Autumn is here, and once the leaves begin to fall, your drainpipes and gutters will collect huge amounts of loose foliage. Once they’re blocked, the rain will begin seeping through the roof and into the walls of your home.

• It’s also time to degrease your appliances. Again, not the most glamorous of chores, but doing so can prevent having to fork out for more than you have to over the build-up to Christmas. Allowing grease to build up on your oven and microwave reduces both its’ efficiency and life span. It’s also important that you regularly remove the grease filter in the range hood and give it a good wash in hot, soapy water.

• Ensure you have boiler cover in place. If you haven’t already, or are unsure, now is the time to check. It’s hard to imagine suffering without heating or hot water in your own home over the winter, so double check that you have sufficient cover in place to protect your family (and your pocket) if anything were to happen.

• carry out a safety drill. It may sound dramatic, but with your fireplace or furnace on full blast, it’s absolutely crucial to test your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. If the alarm doesn’t sound, don’t panic—install new batteries and get rid of any trapped dust.

• Call in a chimney sweep. If you have a chimney, that is! A lot of us underestimate just how dangerous a chimney fire can be. So before you burn your Yule Log, make sure the chimney is spick and span (or get a professional to) and avoid fires or traces of Carbon Monoxide from entering your home.

• Make a drainage plan. It’s no surprise that we will be subject to a few downpours this winter, but by making sure that your home and garden are best fitted to deal with these conditions, you can keep the damage to a minimum, both internally and externally. Pour a bit of bleach down the drains to prevent slow-running taps and lay a land drain for your garden. Grass and plants will die if they are too saturated, and the mud will find its way into your home on the soles of people’s shoes!