A Fall Checklist of 10 Things You Gotta Do Before Winter Sets In

Who’s felt that nip in the air? Fall is here and we’re all obsessing over pumpkin spice latte’s, cozy sweaters, and decorating our porch with pumpkins, am I right? 🍁🌻⁣

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But there are some important things to do around the house that are a bit less aesthetic, such as:⁣
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𝟏) De-gunk your gutters after all these leaves fall⁣ – Clogged rain gutters can cause ice dams, which can lead to expensive repairs.

𝟐) Check your detectors ⁣ – With furnaces turned on, the windows closed and portable heaters humming along, fall is a great time to make sure smoke and CO detectors are working. Check batteries and expiration dates.

𝟑) Change air filters ⁣- All that pollen & pet hair has settled into your air filters, time to clean it out!

𝟒) Lawn maintenance – Water, fertilize and cut the lawn short⁣. Fall watering helps your lawn recover from summer stress and gain strength for the winter ahead. If you can only bother to fertilize once a year, you still have a great lawn if you only fertilize in the fall. Choose a fertilizer that’s labeled 4-1-2. (Those numbers refer to the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the fertilizer.) Apply the fertilizer about three weeks before the last mowing of the season.

𝟓) Prune your plants & trees⁣ – Late fall is the best time to prune plants and trees — when the summer growth cycle is over. Your goal is to keep limbs and branches at least 3 feet from your house so moisture won’t drip onto roofing and siding, and to prevent damage to your house exterior during high winds.

𝟔) Give your fireplace a once over⁣ – Grab a flashlight and look up inside your fireplace flue to make sure the damper opens and closes properly. Open the damper and look up into the flue to make sure it’s free of birds’ nests, branches and leaves, or other obstructions. You should see daylight at the top of the chimney.
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What else should we add to the list?⁣