A nice cup of pumpkin spice latte. Leaves turning to shades of rustic red, rich burgundy, and gorgeous gold. A slight chill cools off the air. We’ve reached the autumn season, folks. Believe it or not, winter will soon be rearing its frosty head. So, now is a great time for you to use this home maintenance checklist to prepare your Tulsa property for the change of seasons ahead.
Fall Home Maintenance Checklist
Clear the Gutters
First item on your home maintenance checklist? Gutter check. As winds pick up and leaves begin to fall, the gutters on your Tulsa home may fill up with debris. When rain starts to fall, blocked gutters cause water to pool. This creates the potential for costly water damage to your roof and interior of your home. Gutter guards keep your gutters clear of any debris while maintaining a clear pathway for water to flow away from your home and its foundation.
Clean the Fireplace and Chimney
To stave off chilly weather, you will probably want to light a fire. But, most likely, you haven’t used your fireplace for months now. Call a professional chimney cleaning service to clear out your chimney of any dangerous creosote buildup. Open and close the flue to make sure that it seals up tight and opens freely for proper air ventilation.
Store Your Lawn Mower
After you trim your lawn for the last time, clean it off. Drain out all the gasoline. Sharpen the blade so it’s ready to work when you break it out in the spring. Then, store it away from the elements in your garage or shed.
Landscape Maintenance
Next item on the home maintenance checklist? Landscaping. Trim back any tree limbs that hang over or near your Tulsa home. Aerate the lawn. Fertilize, if necessary. Apply a winterizer to your grass to protect it from the colder weather.
Blow Out the Sprinklers
If you haven’t done so yet, blow out your sprinklers. Frozen pipes cost big bucks to fix. Once regular water flow to your irrigation system is turned off, whatever is left inside can freeze over if it’s not blown out.
Look for Leaks
After you take care of the inside, time to turn to maintaining the inside of your Tulsa home. Make sure your windows, exterior doors, and electrical sockets are sealed tight. Yes, I said electrical sockets. Believe it or not, cold air can creep in through a loose socket. Replace cracked caulking around your windows. Add weatherstripping where needed. You might even want to consider investing in new storm windows. If you see sunlight through the frame around your exterior doors, you need to seal those up as well. Keep the cold air out and the warm air in for a more energy-efficient household.
Check Your Furnace
Replace or clean the filter in your furnace. Do this once a month to ensure it works properly. It’s also a good time to call in a pro to perform a maintenance check on it so you don’t experience any “surprises” in the dead of winter.
Perform a Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detector Test
Final item on your home maintenance checklist? Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Experts suggest that you change the batteries twice a year: once when you turn your clocks forward in the spring and again when you turn your clocks back in the fall. This year, Daylight Savings Time ends on November 1st. Once you change out the batteries, run a test to make sure they work properly. Each detector should have a little button on it for testing. If you hear it beep when you push this button, it works fine. If you don’t, you need to replace it.
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Lori Cain, REALTOR®, Serving Midtown and the greater Tulsa, OK area. Call 918-852-5036.
