With the change in seasons bringing more time indoors, November is the month to prepare your home for colder weather. Keeping your house warm, cozy, and safe for the winter is easier if you get ahead of potential problems by performing some simple checks and chores right now.
Here are all the home maintenance tasks you should do in November.
Check your vents and crawlspace for critters
When the weather gets colder, wild animals might be looking for a good place to shelter for the winter. If you have uncovered vents or crawlspace accesses, these can prove to be an inviting spot for creatures. To keep them out, make sure you have vent covers in place, and that crawl spaces or any other exterior nooks and crannies are sealed up or covered with a sturdy metal mesh. This method will help defend against squirrels, raccoons, rats, mice, birds, and bats.
Check your fire and carbon monoxide alarms
If you have non-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, you should change the batteries once per year to make sure that they are working well, and now is a great time to do so. If you’ve already changed batteries (maybe when setting your clocks back?), go ahead and test your hazard detection system to ensure that it will alert you if there’s smoke or dangerous carbon monoxide levels in the house. Since people spend more time indoors during the colder months of the year, there may be an elevated risk of fire from the use of heaters, candles, and cooking, and keeping windows closed and sealed can increase the risk of carbon monoxide collecting inside. Giving your detectors a once-over can help reduce risk from these seasonal concerns.
Install weatherproofing
If you live in an older home, or if you have some windows or doors that aren’t well insulated, November is a good time to weatherproof problem areas. Begin by inspecting the weatherstripping around doors and windows. Check for leaks, broken, or worn stripping. If you find any gaps, you can use replacement weather stripping to seal up any openings. If you have bigger leaks around windows or doors, or older windows that let in too much air, you can also use a weatherization kit to temporarily seal off your leaky openings with heat-shrinking plastic wrap. This basic weatherproofing will keep you warmer and help save you money on utility bills.
Gather winter weather supplies
If you live in an area that can get a lot of snow and ice in winter, it’s time to stock up on ice melt, shovels, and roof rakes. Take a look at your snow removal tools and make sure they’re in good shape before it’s time to use them. Replacing equipment before a storm can save you a headache during a winter weather event. Now is also a good time to stash your ice scraper, snow brush, and snow chains in your car’s trunk. If you live in an area that gets heavy snowfall and ice, you should also leave a scraper and de-icer in your garage or utility room so you can get to it if your vehicle is frozen over.
Clean ovens and other crumb-catching appliances
Kitchen fires can be caused by toasters and ovens that have deposits of crumbs and other food particles in them. When the appliance heats up, leftover food will heat up as well, and if it gets hot enough, your appliance can catch fire. Since people tend to stay home and use their ovens more during colder month—not to mention entertaining more during the holiday season—ovens and toasters can get more of a workout at this time of year. Checking that your appliances are hazard-free in November can save you from a disaster down the road.
