Winter is coming… 6 Top Tips to have your home ready for the cold snap

• April 27, 2021
• admin

I’m pretty sure we’ve all noticed the cold snap lately and have resigned ourselves to the fact that Winter is coming… We thought we would share a few tips to make sure that your home is ready for the winter months.

1. Clean your tap aerators

Often if you’re experiencing poor water pressure from the tap, a bunged-up filter, or aerator, is the culprit. Easy to fix but a little fiddly. Aaron has put together a tutorial to show you how it’s done. you can find it here

2. Clean your gutters.

Along with autumn comes a whole lot of fallen leaves which fill up your gutters and attract insects that feed on dried leaves. It can also cause water to overflow in to your roof space during heavy rains causing damage to your ceilings. We recommend this being done towards the end of spring as well in preparation for the fire season if you in an at risk area.

3. Ventilate your house more.

During winter, the air in your home will start to get stale and musty; ventilation is the best way to bring in fresh air and let the ‘bad’ air out. This is also important in rooms that are closed up for long periods of time as mould and mildew could grow if the rooms are kept dark and damp.

4. Do a pest inspection.

When it’s cold outside, pests seek refuge in the nearest homes they can find. These little critters can hide in just about every nook and cranny; however, some common places to look for pests include roof spaces, vents, garages, kitchen pantries and bathrooms. It’s best to call in a pest control service for this as they will be able to identify all the different critters taking up residence and will tailor a solution to your needs.

5. Check that your smoke detectors are working fine.

It’s recommended that you test your smoke alarms regularly to ensure that they are working effectively. We recommend doing this monthly, however twice a year is a must!

6. Scrub air-conditioning filters

On average, 40% of our total energy used at home is for heating and cooling (according to Your Energy Savings). So if you also use your air-conditioning system for heating, it’s essential that your air-conditioning system is completely shipshape – especially considering that clogged or dirty filters can reduce airflow by up to 50%. It’s also a good idea to keep up the maintenance on these as dirty filters can trigger allergic reactions and sinus congestion in those with allergies to animals, pollen and mould.     If you’d like to hear and see more tips from the team on how to keep your homes in tip top shape or your maintenance expenses down, head over to our new facebook group – All Things Maintenance We’d love to have you. If you’d like to check out our other blogs you can find them here You can also find us on facebook at facebook.com/mytradie don’t forget to like and follow!