Money Saving Tips for Winterizing Your Home

Posted on November 7, 2013

In many parts of the country, especially New England, this is the time of the year to start winterizing. Cooling temperatures signal the time to put away the garden hoses, retire the lawnmower, test the snow blower and fill up the bird feeders. Here are a few tips to help you winterize your home that may pay off this fall and help out a bit in the spring.

Trim away any trees which have branches in contact with the house as ants and even wild life love to use these to find a way into our warm homes.
Make sure that you have a chimney cap properly installed to prevent birds, rodents and wildlife from entering. Many dampers are not airtight, so there is often a nice, warm air current going up the chimney which makes things very cozy for these pests.
Inspect your hose bibs and make sure they are not leaking. If there is a cut-off valve inside your basement or crawl space, close it so that your pipes don’t burst.
Watch the humidity in your basement or crawl space. Install dehumidification if necessary as this will reduce chances of fungus, stale smell, and insects.
Look for any wood in contact with the soil near the house. This can lead to a termite infestation.
Look for signs of bur rowing near the foundation or under decks. This could indicate a possible rodent or wildlife infestation.
Keep garage doors closed especially after dusk. Open garage doors allow mice, rats, and wildlife into the garage.
Store pet food and birdseed in plastic bins with tightly fitted tops.
Keep all garbage in closed containers both inside and outside the house.
Seal any holes in the foundation or anywhere insects or rodents might enter. Add weather-stripping under doors to save energy and to exclude pests.

Tagged with: basement, insects, pest, sealing, storage, weather, wildlife, winter, winterizing

Money Saving Tips for Winterizing Your Home

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