November Home Checklist

By Lou Manfredini, Ace's Home Expert

Colder months means it’s time to put a few things to bed and get ready for the impending winter.  Home prevention items like the ones listed below will help prevent pricey home repairs later.

Grab this list and check off these tasks this month.

1. With leaves fallen give your lawn a final rake, cut (a little longer please) and a feeding. Early November is the perfect time to apply a winterizing fertilizer to promote healthy root growth and green up that lawn even quicker in the spring.
2. Have your furnace or boiler cleaned and inspected professionally. Then consider upgrading your filters in a forced air system to pleated.  This year more than ever our indoor air quality is front and center and better filters means cleaner air.
3. If you have not already, please replace the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors (you should be replacing these every 6 months) and if they are older than 7-8 years old replace them entirely.
4. Add weather stripping and caulking to the exterior of your home. As long as temps are above freezing for at least 6-8 hours you can apply these products and it will be warm enough for them to stick and cure.
5. Cover your A/C condensing unit with a plastic cover. But keep the bottom 6” open so you do not create a safe haven for rodents to move in and nest for the winter.
6. Speaking of rodents, fill any cracks with a gap filler, repair loose siding, and do not pile things up against the house. A rodent can fit into a hole the size of a dime and as the weather cools, they will be looking for a place that is warm to hang out.
7. Reset timers on indoor and outdoor lights. It gets darker earlier and adjusting  those lights is key to home safety and security.
8. Cut back perennial plants and if they are delicate and you live where it gets really cold consider covering them with an insulated plant cover. A power hedge trimmer makes the job fast and easy. Alternately leave your perennial clean up for early spring.
9. Plant your spring bulbs now. As long as the ground has not frozen and it’s before Thanksgiving you can plant those bulbs, and you’ll get one of the first peeks of spring color next year.
10. Clean your gutters. Please be careful with this one. Always use the right size ladder for the job and for your weight including the tools you will be using.  Consider using a leaf blower too, position your ladder (tied off at the top), and then let the blower remove the leaves and help you from having to reposition your ladder so often.  Remember to never overreach.

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For more helpful tips visit a neighborhood Ace or visit us online at acehardware.com