The leaves are starting to turn, and the nip of the fall weather will soon be in the air. Now, the kids are back to school, and Christmas is not far away. It really is a beautiful time of the year that shows the transition of time. With this in mind, here are some things that you can do this fall to get ready for the winter.
Declutter and organize
During the summer months, you have probably spent a lot of time outside in the good weather and collected things from day trips and vacations. This is the best time to tidy all of the summer equipment away to be used next year. The patio furniture can be washed and stored in the garage. Summer clothes can be laundered and packed away for the warmer months. Find the winter wools and thick blankets to help keep the chill off your skin. It’s time to pack away the summertime and unpack the winter.
Change furniture
If you are thinking about changing the furniture around for the Holidays, you might want to do it sooner rather than later. Ordering your sofas or bigger dining table early so that they arrive plenty of time for the holiday season can help avoid a lot of stress. If you are not planning on changing the existing furniture, you can get it professionally cleaned. This is great if you have a fabric sofa to clean it and give it a new lease of life. Sometimes all our furniture needs is a bit of TLC and some elbow grease to bring it back to life.
Deep clean
When the weather is warm, the last thing you want to do is clean the house. We are not saying that you have neglected the house, but it could probably do with an overhaul. While you are decluttering and storing the summer stuff, it is a great time to give everything a good clean. Spending a few days going through the rooms and giving them a good scrub and vacuum can do wonders for your home and health. It will also make sure that the cleaning won’t be as difficult as the winter rolls around.
Service the systems
The winter and the colder weather means that your heating and electric systems will be on longer and more often. After not being used as much over the summer, it is always a good idea to have them serviced before the pressure of the winter appears. Servicing the systems will help to ensure that you won’t be hit with sudden system failures that leave you without heat, hot water, and power. If you don’t know much about these systems, it is a good idea to get a professional engineer to look at them. If you have a fireplace, you should get your chimney swept to avoid issues with the chimney. Also, make sure that you have enough fuel for your heating too.
Decorate
As the year goes on, you might discover that rooms are getting a bit worn out and need a coat of paint. When you have small kids, you probably feel the need to paint the rooms once a month with the mess they can leave with their little handprints. If you are planning on having family around for the Holidays, giving the place a fresh coat of paint can help you feel better about your home. Even just a quick coat of white paint on the ceiling can help to brighten the room up again.
Prep Holiday food
Depending on what holidays you celebrate, you will need to buy different things. But, one thing we can all agree on, no matter what we celebrate, we need to start planning early. Start stocking up the tins and frozen items that you might need in the coming months. It is also a great way to ensure that you have a good food supply for the winter if the weather takes a nasty turn and you can’t get out of the house for a while. So grab those winter meats and canned goods to have at the ready.
Donations
The Holiday season normally means that a lot of new stuff comes into our homes, but do we get rid of anything? Having a declutter can mean that we find stuff that is no longer serving us and we don’t need anymore. Maybe some old clothes you don’t like any more would be better off heading to Goodwill. Or maybe you have toys sitting around that the kids don’t play with anymore. Whatever the item, try to give it to charity or sell it, rather than allow it to go to a landfill. And, remember, the Holidays are a time for giving. Even if you feel the need to get rid of something doesn’t mean that someone else won’t love it.
Prep for bad weather
We mentioned the bad weather in a previous point, but it is worth discussing it more. The weather has been becoming more unpredictable in recent years, so it is worth your while prepping a bit more than usual. This means clearing out the gutters, adding flood defenses if your home is prone to flooding. It might be a good idea to grab some snow supplies, even if you don’t get snow where you are. As we said, it is getting unpredictable.
Gardening
If you are an avid gardener, you will already know that now is the time to start clearing out the garden and getting things ready for the spring. Root vegetables will be ready to harvest soon, and it is a great time for getting prepped for the spring. The flowers that have started to die can be added to the compost heap to be used as part of next spring’s planting. If you don’t know that much about gardening and would like to learn more, there is an abundance of information to teach you the basics.
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