Winter is coming. Well, maybe not immediately, but the season that can be the hardest on our homes is nonetheless approaching. Winterizing your house might seem complicated, especially if you've never done it before. But if you follow these tips, you'll be ready for snow, sleet, or hail before you know it (or at least before the inclement weather actually arrives). **Start now!** Even though winter isn't technically happening for several more weeks, it's a smart move to start thinking about your winterizing needs and working on them right now. **Inspect your roof** Your roof gets a lot of battering from Mother Nature. Get your roof inspected as soon as possible. **Check windows, doors, and vents for air leaks** Before that winter wind really starts blowing, check all your openings to the outside for leaks and seal them up. **Caulk and weatherstrip** Reinforce the caulking or add weatherstripping to seal the portal to the outside. **Clean (and consider sealing) your chimney** Cleaning it out before winter can really improve the air flow throughout your entire home. **Clear your gutters** Grab a ladder and spend a weekend afternoon clearing out any debris from your gutters. **Protect your plants** Do a little bit of research around what the plants in your garden prefer, and then treat them accordingly. **Prep your pipes** In areas where winter temperatures are typically below freezing, there's a risk of frozen pipes. **Change your furnace filters** The arrival of winter is always a good time to make sure your furnace is operating at peak capacity. **Drain and store garden hoses** Disconnect them, drain them, and store them somewhere safe. **Drain and store any window A/C units** Unplug the unit, drain it, and stash it in a storage space. **Reverse your ceiling fans** Reverse your ceiling fans so that they spin the opposite direction to push warm air down. **Change your thermostat** Set the thermostat at a reasonable level and do your best to ensure it stays there. **Flush your water heater** Think about doing so before winter hits so that your heater is operating at peak condition. **Increase your insulation** Assess your current level of insulation and beef it up if you think it's inadequate. **Insulate your pipes and/or your water heater** This can be a smart thing to do for pipes that travel along outside walls. **Add storm doors** A storm door provides a buffer from the cold outside. **Check your toolbox** Check to make sure you have everything you'll need when it arrives, like a snow shovel and ice scrapers.
