Autumn Maintenance Tips

Use these must-do autumn maintenance tips to keep your house in shape and help keep you warm this winter.

1. Gutters do their job best when clean. Check yours for foliage build-up, particularly if trees hover over the roof.

2. Lower humidity and cooler (not yet cold) temperatures make autumn a good time to paint the exterior of your home.

3. Inspect your roof, or hire a licensed professional to examine your roof for wear and tear. Also check the flashing around skylights, pipes and chimneys.

4. Have your wood-burning fireplace inspected, cleaned and repaired to prevent chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.

5. Clean and replace filters in your heating system.

6. The change in temperature and humidity and normal wear and tear can cause window seals to crack and shrink. Check your windows and doors inside and out for leaks and drafts. Seal cracks or install weather stripping around windows and doors, including the garage door.

7. Rake up any leaves that settle on lawn surfaces. Large leaves in particular, especially when they get wet, can compact to the point where they suffocate the grass below and lead to all kinds of insect and disease problems.

8. Put the raked leaves in the compost pile or use as mulch. Don’t waste fallen leaves because they’re an excellent source of nutrients and organic matter.  And better yet – it’s free!

9. Autumn is a good time to aerate your lawn; it will allow moisture and nutrients to get into the roots. When you’re done, spread fertilizer then grass seed.

10. Each Autumn, check smoke alarms and put in fresh batteries.