Checklist: How to Winter-Proof Your Home's featured image

Checklist: How to Winter-Proof Your Home

With the cold weather soon upon us, the professional cleaning company, MOLLY MAID is advising homeowners to check their properties to help stop the predicted harsh weather from taking its toll on their home, heating and maintenance bills.

Properties are vulnerable to attack both from the outside elements and the moist, warm conditions that build up inside during the winter months, so now is an ideal opportunity to prepare.

  • Conduct a 360-degree assessment of your home – think roof, walls, floors, windows, doors – and then repair, seal or insulate where possible.
  • It is important to recognize that letting a property breathe the warm air out is as important as stopping the cold air from coming in. Today’s lifestyle of showers, washing up, periodic short bouts of heating throughout the day and a lack of ventilation can lead to a build-up of litres of water daily that forms condensation and dampness on window sills, furniture and walls.

Below are suggestions of key areas to take note of, of course consulting a maintenance professional where necessary:

Roof

  • Inspect the roof and replace any cracked tiles.
  • Ensure eaves troughs are de-cluttered and debris-free.

Walls

  • 33% of heat lost in the home is through the walls. Cavity wall insulation is a good option and can boost your home’s re-sale value, while reducing your energy bills.
  • Check the pointing – frost can play havoc with poorly maintained walls.

Windows

  • Check perimeters of all windows to make sure water flows away from glass and doesn’t collect on the sill, or drain behind it.
  • It is important to minimize draughts.  If double-glazing is not in place (it cuts heat loss through windows by 50 percent), consider fitting cheaper options such as secondary glazing or put polythene across the window frames.
  • Curtains can make a big difference to heat loss. Consider thermally insulated curtains for windows.

Doors

  • Stop draughts by putting a sealant around the door frames.

Remember, while many of these simple tasks can be undertaken safely in the home it is important that you seek the advice of reputable professionals when looking to complete larger jobs.

 

Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash