Fall Home Maintenance Projects

As the seasons change, it's a great idea to get some maintenance projects checked off your list. Here's some tasks to get you started this fall:

1) Leaves, They Keep on Fallin'

Fall = leaves. Lots and Lots of Falling Leaves. One of the first projects to tackle in the fall is, you guessed it: Raking the Leaves. Before you get too overwhelmed, if you have kids you may choose to involve them and make it fun. Who doesn't love playing in leaves? Am I right?

Another way to get away from raking is to mow over them once a week. This breaks down the leaves, prevents you from breaking your back, AND provides nutrients to your yard.

2) Gutters, Downspouts, Water Oh My!

It's not fun. It's often forgot about, but keep your gutters and downspouts clear of leaves and debris as much as possible. It's even less fun (and not cheap) to have to deal with clogged and frozen gutters and downspouts during the winter.

3) Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee

Ah, East Central Indiana, where temperatures are all over the place and as it gets colder, we begin to use our furnaces and chimneys more often. Before they are on more than they are not, it's a good time to have them serviced by a professional. Before using any equipment that gives off heat, it's essential to have them checked thoroughly first and as an added bonus, a furnace running in tip-top shape means saving on power consumption.

4) Seal With It

Okay, so not THOSE seals (although that might be a lot more fun). You don't want any of the outside elements affecting the quality of your home, so weather-stripping is a must-do. It's a good idea to seal the windows, door frames, and any other openings you may have.

5) Cold Weather + Static Electricity = Not Good.

Did you know that dryers cause several thousand fires each year? Many times it's during the colder months because the lint has piled up in the dryer vents throughout the year. The cold weather plus static electricity could ignite a fire in the dryer. Use this time (before the cold blast hits) to clean the dryer vents- both inside the dryer and the vents leading out of your home.

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