With the change of season from sunny Summer to elegant Autumn, here are changes you should make around your home as the leaves and air become crisp.

Gutter Cleaning
As the leaves escape the trees, they’ll either meet the ground or be intercepted by your gutters. The issue is that with clogged gutters, the rain has nowhere to escape to and can potentially enter your house.  So jump on a ladder and safely do it yourself or fire up the internet and hire a company to do it for you.

Draft Defender
Check your windows and exterior doors for drafts using a candle (if it flickers, you’ve got an issue) as you shouludn’t be paying to heat the outside of your house. Whether it’s re-caulking or installing new weather stripping, make sure the heat stays indoors.

Show Your Oven Some Lovin’
Since you’ll likely be indoors more often, chances are you’ll be spending additional time cooking.
Whether it’s your oven, Instant Pot, toaster oven, microwave or any other small kitchen cooking appliance, give it a thorough cleaning.

Tap Out
Make sure all your exterior water taps/pipes/valves are closed before the weather dips below zero to avoid burst/frozen pipes and the impending watery mess.

Chim Chimney
Before you get your chimney and fireplace ready for warmth and social media accounts, have it thoroughly cleaned so it works efficiently.

Clean House
Dust and clean thoroughly since you’ll be spending more time as the mercury dips. Cobwebs, dust bunnies, beneath and behind furniture, get it all.

A Functioning Furnace
Get your furnace inspected every autumn before it gets cold as it’s easier to live without one for a few days now opposed to winter. Also change/clean your filter for maximum efficiency.
(My furnace broke on Christmas Eve 2012 because I opted against having it inspected in September.)

Muddy Waters
Bring out your rubber floor mat because in a season full of rain, you’ll likely bring home some mud along your travels.

Fill’er Up
Check your driveway for any cracks and fill them because just like on the roads, road cracks expand and are a costly fix come spring time.

Change Of Season
Put fresh batteries in your smoke alarms carbon monoxide detectors. It’s as simple as that.

Flip The Switch
Reversing the direction of your ceiling fan creates an upward draft and distributes warm air from the ceiling. It also saves money that you can then spend on supporting our local businesses.

Covered Up
If you use your air conditioner in Winter, skip this point.  If you do not, put a fitted cover or tarp on it to keep leaves/ice/debris out of it.

Winter Is Coming…
And you should use Autumn as an opportunity to make sure your shovels are in good shape. Pick up some sand or salt before the crowds take them all, along with an ice scraper for your car.

Speak Moistly
Well, maybe not but with the dry air, pull out your humidifiers and give them a thorough cleaning so that maybe you can speak moistly opposed to dryly.

Proof Your Roof
Whether it’s your or someone else, see what’s up with your roof and if it needs repairs or replacing before the weather turns.