It’s time to drag out the rakes and ladders to clean the yard and roof before the winter white arrives.
Winter has its own set of pitfalls and potential hazards, but fall is our immediate concern, as the leaves have already begun to fall to the ground. With the beauty of the season, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment, the holidays soon approaching, the beautiful change of scenery, are all good reasons to be distracted. Then, before you know it winter is in full swing and your fall ‘distraction’ may turn into this winter’s ‘accident’ around your home. So, set aside time to make fall cleanup a priority.
Winter Hazards
Winter’s potential hazards lurk in and around the home. From frozen water pipes, to slippery and icy walk ways or driveways. Even trees near your home with overhanging branches may need to be cut or removed to safeguard against damage to your home or automobile. Many of these hazards can be avoided by following a home and yard maintenance schedule throughout the year.
Fall Preparation & Cleanup
Fall and winter bring wind, rain and snow as frosty storms parade through our cities and towns. It’s at this time of year, the fall, when things can really “pile up”, literally. Making time to go to your local hardware store must be high on the priority list. Utilizing the fall months to prepare for winter keeps you from running into those cold, freezing winter days when you don’t have sand or rock salt for your icy driveway, or no batteries or candles in case of a power outage. By taking the initiative now to go to hardware store, you may find great deals on power generators, rakes, shovels and ladders or anything else you may need for the upcoming winter.
This may also be a good time to look into that insulation you’ve been meaning to get for your attic or the window film to put over the windows to save on heating cost. Now that you have set a time for cleaning up in and around your home during the fall months, it’s important to pay special attention to a few key areas in your surrounding yard.
Outside the House
Outdoor maintenance is the most important and often the most tedious and time consuming part of the fall cleanup due to the sheer volume of leaves and debris that can fall in your yard and upon your roof. First, there is the yard cleanup which can be a fun-filled family time. Children get a certain gleam in their eye when a towering pile of crunchy leaves is before them. You know what follows. More clean-up! The newly scattered leaves will finally have to be scooped into sturdy plastic bags for their removal.
Next on your to-do-list, pack up and store patio furniture for the winter. Disconnect garden hoses and use an indoor valve to shut off water from pipes leading to the outside faucets. Shutting down the outside faucets reduces the chance of freezing water pipes during the cold winter month.
The most overlooked area of the yard/home, one that should be cleaned frequently during the fall months, is the rain gutters. Gutter protection is a perfect solution for eliminating debris and leaf build up. It’s best to inspect and clean the gutters a few times during the fall, especially if there are many leafy trees around your home. If rain gutters remain clogged, excess rain water will spill over next to the foundation and may cause damage to the foundation. Gutters and downspouts should be kept clean with a gutter protection product while directing water away from the foundation, walkways and driveways.
The LeafFilter gutter protection system keeps gutters debris free. Transforming your rain gutters into a rain water diverting system is important because water from gutter backup can also cause damage to the integrity of your home by flowing into windows, woodwork and siding, not to mention the potential for freezing walkways and steps. Slip and falls on walkways, driveways and stairs during the winter months account for 200,000 serious injuries a year according to National academy of sports medicine. This winter, prevent accidents with a thorough fall clean up, because a broken hip, leg or forearm is not the way to spend the holidays.
