As someone who has lived their entire life in the Chicagoland area, I know just how important it is to prepare our homes for the harsh winter months that lay ahead. Winter can wreak absolute havoc to a home, if unprepared. It can reveal issues that you were not even aware of before they became big annoying expenses for you.
Well, I wanted to spare my readers from experiencing some of those harsh realities by creating this helpful (printable) Fall Maintenance checklist to mark off as you go! I developed this guide, which covers interior and exterior maintenance, so you can be sure that you’re spending your winter exactly how you should be—curled up on the couch with a big mug of hot chocolate (or your drink of choice). ☕ ❄️
Interior:
- Caulk holes in windows and door frames
- Save on your heating bills and prevent drafts by applying colormatched caulk to small holes in your window or door frames.
- Get heating system checked
- Before you even need to turn on your furnace, it’s a good idea to get your system checked out by a professional to make sure it’s winter ready and tuned up.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- Make sure you won’t be woken up in the middle of the night by your carbon monoxide detector or fire alarm going off from low batteries. Keep extra batteries on hand in case you need them!
- Clean humidifier regularly
- Keep your humidifiers clean so water contaminated by bacteria or spores doesn’t get circulated in your home.
- Deep clean kitchen
- Now is a great time to deep clean the parts of your kitchen that may be overlooked in the daily bustle. Clean the oven out, clean light fixtures, scrub the backsplash tiles, and clean your small appliances. Future you will thank you!
- Clean chimney
- If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace for those frosty winter nights, don’t forget to get your chimney clean professionally. Hire a licensed chimney sweep to do the dirty work for you.
- Clean dryer vent
- Keep your dryer energy efficient and safe by keeping your dryer vents clean of lint. An excess of lint in the fall can actually present a fire hazard because of low-humidity levels.
- Change furnace filter
- Changing your furnace filter is one of the easiest, cheapest, ways to make sure your heating system is working as it should. We actually have a whole blog post about why this one home maintenance task is so important!
- Install interior storm windows
- Storm windows can be a great inexpensive way to extend the life of your windows, keep drafts out, and lower your home’s bills in the winter.
Exterior:
- Clean gutters and gutter spouts
- Cleaning your gutters on a yearly basis can prevent further expenses and annoyances down the road. Prevent trees from growing in your gutters, or leaves from clogging up your drain spout, by cleaning on a yearly basis at least.
- Water and aerate lawn
- Before winter sets in, it’s still important to water your lawn in prepartion for the cruel months ahead. Aerating the lawn is also important before witner. Aerating just means to make small holes in the ground to relieve compaction caused by heavy snowfall and foot traffic.
- Fertilize and mow lawn short
- Three weeks before the last mowing of the season, fertilize your lawn with one labeled 4-1-2 for great results come spring.
- Rake up leaves
- While we do love the way leaves look after they’ve changed colors, we don’t want them to build up too much on our lawns. Their continued presence there can inhibit growth during the spring.
- Shut off exterior faucets, drain garden hose and store away
- Keep your garden hose intact this winter by draining and storing it away before temperatures reach below freezing. While you’re at it make sure to turn off your exterior faucets.
- Get properly snow-ready
- Prevent trip hazards by picking up stones, sticks, and other debris before they get covered in a layer of snow. Small hazards that would be easy to see in normal conditions can be dangerous when concealed by snow.
- Inspect foundation, roofing, and siding
- Inspect your foundation, roofing, and siding to make sure you can do any needed repairs before the weather gets too harsh.
- Install exterior storm windows
- Just like their interior counterpart, exterior storm windows can help to extend the life of your windows, keep drafts out, and lower your heating bills. They can also help maintain the architectural integrity of your home so you can keep original windows longer.
- Weatherstrip garage door
- Keep small animals and drafts out of your garage by making sure the seal between your ground and garage door stays tight.
- Organize and clean garage
- Now is a great time to do any routine garage cleaning that may have been put off the rest of the year. Make sure all your snow supplies are accounted for and ready to be used for when you need them.
- Make sure snow equipment is in working order
- Test out any snowblowers that you may have before the first snowfall. If any repairs or replacements are needed you’ll have plenty of notice before your snowblower is necessary.
- Inspect porch/deck handrail
- And last but not least, inspect the integrity your home’s exterior stair handrails. Trust me, you’ll rely on their stability once stairs become icy and covered in a layer of snow.
In Conclusion:
Through this guide and checklist, I hope I was able to prepare you, and your home, for Chicagoland’s upcoming winter months. Here’s hoping for minimal snowfall! But, whatever the case may be, make sure to print out the checklist linked above. It’s just a simplified version of this guide with boxes to check off so you can follow along at your own pace.
And don’t forget to check back here for more helpful homeowner tips and tricks. More seasonal tips are incoming!
About Gerardo Zavala, Realtor
There is a true passion for connecting people with real estate that makes me fall in love with my career over and over again. While my title says, REALTOR® I think I am much more than that. For example, I am present and actively listening to my client’s needs, on the spot when things are urgent, and by your side to say “congratulations.” Most of my clients will say that I am a connection away from support no matter the situation, day, or time. In my opinion, customer service, educating the client on progress and next steps, and overall satisfaction are my top priorities. How can I help you?
