5 Household Chores You Should Tackle Before Winter

Winter doesn’t just “arrive.” One day you’re sipping your pumpkin spice latte and pretending the porch doesn’t need sweeping (cause of all the leaves), and the next you’re freezing your toes off because the first cold snap came faster than anyone expected. Well, yeah, winter comes out of nowhere, but really, it’s just the same every year, you’re caught off guard. Basically, everyone is. 

While sure, there’s plenty of home improvement things you need to do before winter hits, there’s also some chores you ideally need to do as well. Yeah, they’re not fun, but they still need to be done!

Stock Up on Firewood

If you heat with a woodburner stove, you already know firewood season turns into a weird competition. Once the temps drop, every neighbor within a 20-mile radius suddenly remembers they need a cord of wood. By then, you’re stuck with the damp leftovers that smoke up your living room instead of heating it. 

So, you just need to stack up early, keep it dry, and you’ll be the one feeling smug when everyone else is panicking mid-December. But of course, if you live in the woods, then you’re probably chopping your firewood, and well in that case, chop chop to getting that done (yes, bad pun intended).

Don’t Forget About the Vents

Yeah, sure, vents aren’t exciting, but they are one of the main culprits when it comes to massive energy bills, and just bad airflow overall. Okay, but how? Well, dust and dirt build up, and before you know it, your furnace is working double-time and your house still feels chilly.

You can go at it with the vacuum, but if you want it handled properly, professional vent cleaning services are worth the call. Honestly, you’re better off just hiring a professional, because your vacuum can only reach so far. While yeah, this is definitely a boring chore, it needs to be done. Oh, and if you have a radiator (a lot of older houses do), then you need to clean it first before turning it on.

Chimneys Need Some Love

That fireplace might look all Pinterest-worthy once the stockings are hung, but what exactly is going on behind the scenes? Well, it’s probably a mess. Now, you need to keep in mind that soot and creosote love to build up in chimneys, and not cleaning them means you’re creating a firehazard. But of course, if you don’t use your fireplace, then don’t worry about this one.

Seal Out the Drafts

Yep, this should ideally be done every year, and if you don’t, you’re basically throwing away money. So, just grab some weatherstripping or a sealant gun and deal with those gaps now. Also, sometimes condensation gets on windows, and it can warp the wood around the window sills, so it might help to lay down some plastic strips on it (which is far from glamorous.

Keep the Critters Out

Well, humans aren’t the only ones looking for a warm, cozy spot. If you live in a rural or even a suburban area, you should definitely pay attention to this one! So, mice, spiders, and the occasional rat (ew) are basically lining up to move in the second it gets cold. So, you need to seal up any cracks and basically take any sort of preventive measures to keep the pests out (it gets expensive to hire pest control in the winter months).