Simple Ideas to Ready Your Home for Fall

Fall Tuneup for Your Home

The seasons are changing, you can feel it in the air. The last dog days of summer are happening in Sonoma County, the last grapes are being harvested, and our nights have a chill to them. Fall is a beautiful season in Sonoma County and it gives us some extra lead time to get our homes ready for fall and winter.

Below we share some simple ideas on how to ready your home for the fall and winter season, that will save you time and money. Many of these tuneup ideas are quick to do or you can share some of these fall chores with your family members and get them done that much quicker!

Fall is a great time for seasonal maintenance to keep your home in top shape. The weather can change quickly to downpours in Sonoma County and you don’t want to caught unprepared. A bit of time and attention now will save costly repairs and aggravations at some of the worst times later.

Interior Home Maintenance List

1. Inspect your heating system. Have your HVAC system checked to look for leaks, heating efficiency and to change the filter. If you have pets, stock up on a few filters since they should be changed every few months.
2. Winterize your air conditioning. If your home has central air conditioning, now is a good time to cover it for the fall and winter months. If you have window air conditioning units this is a good time to take the units down and put them to bed for the season.
3. Check for drafts. Check around window and exterior doors for drafts. This is a good time to replace caulking around both windows and doors to make them draft free.
4. Test home safety devices. Replace the batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide devices and test to make sure they work properly. Make sure your fire extinguishers are not past their pull date, if they are buy new ones.
5. Clean air cleaners. Replace old filters in air cleaners and clean your air cleaner with vinegar solution.
6. Check programming on thermostat. Make sure your temperatures for daytime are not set above 68 degrees and for nighttime not above 66 degrees and gradually set your nighttime temperature at 62 degrees. You will sleep better and save money on your utility bill.

Exterior Home Maintenance List

1. Check chimney. If you have a wood fireplace, wood fireplace insert or wood stove be sure to have your chimney cleaned annually and inspected by a professional. If a piece of paper sis able to be pulled from the closed doors of a wood stove it’s time to replace the gasket.
2. Clean gutters. Hire someone to clean your gutters or do it yourself. Remove all leaves, nests, and debris from your gutters and downspouts. You can use a power washer to clean out downspouts or a good spray nozzle on your hose will do the job. Consider installing gutter guards to keep debris out of your gutters.
3. Inspect siding. Check your home for cracks and holes. Give special attention to facia boards around windows and roof eves.  Make repairs where needed.
4. Rake leaves. Leaves make great mulch and are a great addition to a compost pile.
5. Trim landscaping. Prune and trim landscaping to keep limbs away from the roof and also make way for new spring growth.
6. Inspect trees. Check for damaged libs or dead trees and either remove yourself or hire a tree professional to do the job. The new battery operated pole saws are great for limbing trees that are close to your home and making your home more fire safe. The last thing you want is a limb hitting your house during a storm, high winds and dead limbs cause problems.
7. Burn permit. Apply for your Sonoma County burn permit to burn all tree trimmings and yard waste.
8. Fertilize lawn and plants. Fall is a great time to add amendments to the soil, mulch your plants and protect your plants so they can be hardy in the spring.
9. Winterize outdoor furniture. In Sonoma County we can usually use our outdoor furniture till sometime before Thanksgiving in a mild year. It’s good to have breathable outdoor furniture covers for our outdoor furniture to give them added years of wear. This way if we have a warm December day you can just take off the covers and enjoy!
10. Organize your shed, greenhouse or garage. As you are putting away summer items it’s a great time to organize and clean out your shed, greenhouse or garage giving you more access for the winter.

All of us at Crystal Clear Home hope you have a wonderful fall and enjoy all the great activities Sonoma County has to offer at this time of year, from wine tasting to pumpkin picking and more. If you want more time to enjoy the fun stuff in your life, give us a call at 707-827-3316 or fill out our contact form or free quote form and we will give you a call.