September Home Maintenance: Preparing for Fall and Winter

As September arrives, it’s the perfect time to tackle a variety of home maintenance tasks to ensure your home is ready for the cooler temperatures and potential challenges of fall and winter. By addressing these items now, you can prevent more significant issues later and keep your home in top condition. Let’s break it down by the exterior and interior. When you need the help of the best, local home maintenance pros, just MAKE A FREE REQUEST on the GetAssist Business Directory!

Interior

🔥❄️Service Heating and Cooling System: Replace your furnace filter to improve efficiency and air quality. Schedule a professional HVAC inspection on GetAssist so you won’t be left in the cold when the heat comes on in the colder months.

🧺Clean Dryer Vent: Even with regular lint trap emptying, the dryer vent behind the machine can still collect flammable lint. Unplug the machine, turn off the gas supply (if applicable), and vacuum out lint from the vent hose.

🌀Redirect Ceiling Fans: Reverse the direction of your ceiling fans to run clockwise at a low speed. This pushes warm air down, helping to make your home feel warmer and potentially lowering heating bills.

💨Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Ensure all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order, especially as you start using your furnace or fireplace more often.

🧯Check Fire Extinguishers: Verify that fire extinguishers are easily accessible, have intact tamper seals and pins, and are at proper pressure.

🪟🚪Check and Replace Weather Stripping Around Doors and Windows: Ensure weather stripping is in place and replace any worn caulking or stripping to prevent drafts and keep heat inside.

💧Check for Leaks: Inspect all faucets for leaks and check toilets and bathtubs for leaks, including the caulk around the tub.

🚽Protect Plumbing from Freezing: Insulate exposed pipes in your basement, attic, or crawl spaces, especially those near exterior walls.

🔍Find the best local HVAC Contractors

🔍Find the best local Plumbers

🔍Find the best local Handymen

Lawn and Garden 

🌳Trim Trees and Shrubs: Cut back any low-hanging branches, especially those close to your home or roof, to prevent damage from ice and snow accumulation. Prune dead plants and rake fallen leaves.

🌱Fertilize Lawn: Apply fertilizer to your lawn in the spring to promote healthier growth before it goes dormant for winter.

🚰 Prepare Outdoor Faucets and Irrigation Systems: If you live in an area with freezing temperatures, turn off the water line to outdoor faucets and winterize any garden irrigation systems to prevent pipes from freezing and cracking.

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🔍Find the best local Irrigation Service

Exterior

💧Clean Gutters and Downspouts: Clear away fallen leaves, small branches, and any other blockages from your gutters and downspouts. This action is crucial to ensure proper water drainage, preventing accumulation near your home’s foundation that could otherwise cause structural damage or leaks. Consider installing gutter guards for easier maintenance next year.

🔨Inspect and Repair Roof: Look for damaged, missing, or curling shingles, and check that flashing is intact. MAKE A FREE REQUEST on GetAssist for a local roofer to fix any issues to prevent water damage during inclement weather and freezing and melting spells.

🪟Inspect and Touch Up Exterior Paint: Check for peeling or cracking paint on the siding, trim, and window frames. Touching up these areas protects your home’s exterior from moisture.

🫧Pressure Wash Exterior: Clean your home’s siding, windows, porch, patio, walkways, and driveway to remove accumulated dirt and dust.

🚪Inspect Windows and Doors for Drafts: To detect drafts, particularly on a blustery day, carefully pass a lit candle along the edges of your windows and doors. Should the flame waver or flicker, it indicates air leaks; these can be sealed with weatherstripping or caulk.

🏠Evaluate Fireplace and Chimney: For homes with a fireplace, MAKE A FREE REQUEST on GetAssist  for a professional chimney sweep to eliminate accumulated soot and creosote, thereby mitigating fire hazards. Concurrently, examine the chimney structure for any signs of cracks or deterioration.

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🔍Find the best local Roofers

🔍Find the best local Painters

🔍Find the best local Chimney Cleaners

By dedicating time to these essential September home maintenance tasks, you can help prepare your home to be comfortable, safe, and efficient throughout the fall and winter seasons.