What You Should Be Doing to Prepare Your Home for Fall

Fall is here and it’s time to get your home ready for the coming cold season! Long Island is a place where homeowners experience a range of weather patterns in the fall, potentially including wind, rain, chill, damp, and even snow and ice. Preparing your home for this time of year can help you stay comfortable throughout the fall and winter and even save money on your energy bills. By weatherizing your home, cleaning your windows and similar tasks, you can improve your quality of life this fall and winter.

Wash Your Windows

The days get short in fall, and that’s when it gets dark inside. This fall, wash your windows inside and out to let in as much light as possible. Make your own window cleaning product, or buy a commercially made cleaning product. When you’re choosing a commercially made cleaning product, make sure it’s made for windows.

Some tips when cleaning your home’s windows:

• Always get help when you need it. Don’t try to clean the exterior of upstairs windows on your own, unless you can tilt them inward and clean them from inside.
• Perform an inspection while you’re at it. Take this time to inspect your windows for needed caulking or repairs.
• Wait for mild temperatures and don’t clean in direct sun. Wash your windows under the right conditions to prevent streaks when the cleaning product dries too quickly.
• Decide the future of your windows. Evaluate the state of your windows to decide if you may need to replace them soon.

Clean Your Gutters

Your home’s gutters help direct water away from your home, which can prevent leaks inside your house. Gutters need to be cleaned at least once annually, or twice per year depending on how quickly your gutters fill with debris. Get help from a gutter cleaning pro, especially if your gutters are up high. If you’re going to DIY your gutter cleaning:

• Wear gloves to protect your hands.
• Use a bucket to hold the debris that you pull out of the gutters.
• Fill your gutters with water when you’re done to be sure they’re draining properly.

Weatherstrip Your Windows & Doors

Weatherstripping helps keep the drafts and cold air out of your house when the temperatures drop. This helps save on heating costs and makes your windows and doors more energy-efficient. If you’ve weather stripped in the past, now is the time to inspect your weatherstripping and replace it if necessary. Most home center weatherstripping only lasts a year or two.

Weatherstripping is sold in home improvement centers. Buy the right weatherstripping for your windows and doors. It should be large enough to fill the gaps between your windows and doors, but shouldn’t make the windows or doors hard to open or close.

Caulk Seams Around Windows

While you were inspecting your windows, did you notice the caulk was deteriorating? Caulk the seams around your home’s windows to prevent leaks and air drafts. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this work yourself, hire a contractor or reputable handyman to do the work for you.

Need to Replace Your Windows? Get It Done Before Winter

Renewal by Andersen of Long Island windows are made using energy-efficient, insulated Low-E window glass and exclusive Fibrex material window frames, which can help improve your comfort at home this winter. Call Renewal by Andersen of Long Island at (866) 609-5033 or fill in the short form on this page to schedule an appointment.

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