Seeking Justice

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Almost everyone has heard about spring cleaning, but very few people know what it means to winterize your home. Fall means winter season is around the corner, and you should use the occasion to make sure that your house is ready for it. Throughout fall it is actually easier to check out the outside of the home, since the foliage is dying away and you can more easily see if shrubs are attached to the house. House siding is very easily damaged by roots and vines that cling to the exterior – even bricks aren’t immune – and they should be cleaned off.

When you have completed your very last watering, drain, roll up and store all the hose. The water supply to faucets outside the house should be cut, and after that these can dry out. Get the garden furniture cleaned up and stored someplace dry, once you are done using it till the following year. All young trees that you’ve planted, you should protect them with mulch, especially if it is their first winter. All drainage ditches should be cleared so they can cope with any heavy rains.

Once the temperature starts to get colder, it is time to start thinking of fireplaces. Everybody normally requires a chimney sweep at the same time when a frigid spell shows up, so call early to beat the rush. One never knows how the availability of firewood will be, so if you are going to need some, try to locate some in plenty of time. When driving around outlying areas, you may find local people who sell fire wood, without lots of advertising. If you make use of a fireplace in winter, you should check all of your smoke alarms to make sure they are working. If you leave your Xmas lights set up for the whole year, check that the cords are still flexible. When you use storm windows, they should be installed. Weather-stripping gets drier with the hot temperatures, so they might all need to be replaced.

During the winter, the windows remain closed most of the time, so make sure that the filters in your range hood are in good working order. Check that the slope of the soil around your house will still allow water to flow away. If water happens to drain into the cellar, or the foundation, that can be bad news for your house. First and foremost it brings about wet rot, which could convert to dry rot after some time, which you sincerely want to do without. You need to check for seepage frequently.

You should search for leaks, the most at risk places being the roof, gutters, down-pipes and inside plumbing. It goes without saying, but all of the leaks should be repaired. Reduce a draft by covering air-conditioning units, and consider wrapping exterior pipes, especially if the house is older. It’s a wise decision to shampoo the floor coverings, since dust is more noticeable in the winter. Finish off simply by cleaning the windows.

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