Getting your home ready for winter

Fall is in full swing here in Alaska and it’s the perfect time to get your home ready for winter. Plus, if your home is on the market, seasonal maintenance is a great way to keep your home looking good and showing great when potential buyers visit. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and not sure what to do first, we’ve created this handy checklist to get you started.    

Before the first snows start falling it’s good to get a jump start on these outdoor maintenance tasks:

• Chimneys: Have chimneys checked by a professional and cleaned if needed. Creosote, soot and ash buildup in chimneys can block ventilation and cause smoke and toxic fumes to come back into the home.
• Gutters: Packed leaves, twigs and dirt will clog your gutters and cause water to back up into your home or dangerous ice dams to form in winter.
• Roof: Damage from the previous year, along with natural wear-and-tear, can loosen and damage roof materials making your home at risk for leaks or invading vermin. A visual inspection with binoculars walking around your home is a good first step, but having a professional check is even better.
• Outdoor furniture: Clean and store all cushions and pillows for the winter. Clean furniture that can’t stay outside over the winter and store it away as well.
• Winter tools: While you’re storing all the summer stuff away, be sure to get out your snow shovels, blowers and other tools you’ll need for the winter so you won’t have to dig them out later.
• Outdoor hoses, faucets & pipes: Disconnect hoses from outdoor faucets, drain, and put them away for the winter. Turn off shutoff valves on water supply lines and open exterior faucets all the way to drain the lines and prevent them from freezing and breaking. For more details and tips to keep pipes (inside and out) from freezing during the cold Alaska winters, be sure to read this article: “How to keep pipes from freezing in Alaska.”

Once you’ve got the outside set and ready for winter, now it’s time to turn your attention inside:

• Have your furnace inspected and serviced: Don’t wait until temps drop below zero or your furnace suddenly stops working. Schedule a professional inspection and servicing for your home’s furnace system before winter hits.
• Fire extinguishers: Fireplaces, firepits, and candles are one of the many things we love about this season, and a good reason to make sure you’ve got fire extinguishers in good working order. Be sure that you have enough placed throughout your home where they might be needed most such as in kitchens, near fireplaces, etc. It’s also a good idea to review how to use a fire extinguisher with every member of the household that might have to use it.
• Check emergency supplies: Winter storms can result in being snowed in for days or even a week at a time making a family emergency kit essential. Using storage boxes, backpacks or other storage solutions, start by including medicines, baby supplies like formula and diapers, pet food, and extra winter clothing in addition to food, batteries, flashlights, lanterns, radios, infant formula, water, blankets, and first aid supplies. Check the Red Cross website for printable checklists you can use when assembling your kit.