Everyone’s heard of Spring Cleaning—but what about those little (and not-so-little) things that we can do to keep our properties in tip-top shape for the autumn. With Labor Day now firmly in the rearview mirror, the time for that fall sprucing up is now!
- Clean your gutters. In the Pacific Northwest the gutters are really put through their paces during the fall months, when all manner of leaves and debris can get into them. You might as well get into the routine of regularly cleaning them now—and make sure they are in prime condition before the autumn begins in earnest.
- Don’t forget to clean up after your trees, leafs and needles can quickly clog the gutters on your home along with the street drains and cause flooding.
- Take now as an opportunity to check the batteries in all of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, replacing them as needed.
- If you are going to be using your fireplace during the winter months, it is highly recommended to have it professionally inspected and cleaned at the start of each fall, to avoid the risk of fire or other fiasco.
- Inspect the exterior of your home—especially around doors and window frames—and use caulk to plug any holes or cracks that have developed. This will boost the energy efficiency of your home.
- When the time finally comes to store your lawn equipment for the winter, drain the gas, to prevent engine damage.
- Turn off any and all exterior wall faucets, which will help prevent them from freezing.
- Finally, fall is a great time to do any touch-up painting that you need to do on the outside of your home!