The Worst 4-letter S Word

Sorry, all, I’ve got some dirty words to share with you.

Cold.

Snow.

Winter.

I know, the language is tough to take in, but we can’t ignore it. Time doesn’t stop, and that means that the cold weather is on the way with everything that comes with it.

If you’re a long-time reader of our blog, which means you’ve read our other 2 posts, you’ll know we talked about rock salt in our first post. Even though I obviously feel passionate about not having rock salt all over my floors, there are other things that you should be doing to get ready for the season.

For complete transparency: this is not a complete list, we’d love for you to call us to help you with preparation, and only do these on your own as you feel comfortable or able.

• Clean your gutters: this is really something that should be done twice a year, and late Fall is one of those times. Fall generally comes with more rain than the summer, and you want those gutters ready to do their job. Saving this task until most of the leaves have fallen also ensures that the leaves aren’t blocking gutters when the snow melts in the Spring.

• Clean up your outside: In addition to the gutters, put away the outdoor furniture, and clean out your planter boxes. Learn when the leaf pick-up is in your city/town.

• Windows: Do you feel like your windows aren’t doing the job of keeping the winter wind out? I lived in some questionable apartments in my 20s, and in the Buffalo winters, I had a breeze coming straight through the windows. A couple of things you can do are…

  • Start simple – make sure your window AC units come out!

  • Growing up, we called them storm windows. If you have a second pane of glass in your windows, bring them down and push the screens up. You won’t need those!

  • There are window kits for basically plastic wrapping your window. It’s not a great solution, but it will help!

  • Lastly, if you can put your hand on the sill or wall around your window and get frostbite, consider treating yourself to new insulation and/or windows in the Spring!

  
  

• Get the tools you need: This one is pretty straightforward. Find your rake and leaf blower. Make sure your snowblower starts, and that you have oil and/or gas for it. Put the snow brushes back in the car. Did you break your shovel last year and you need a new one? Buy rock salt before you need it.

There are certainly plenty of other things that you might need to do around your house, so look around and get it sorted out. As always, we hope you give us a call when you need us!

Lastly, I wouldn’t be doing my job as the daughter of a fire fighter here if I didn’t let you know that Fire Safety Awareness/Fire Prevention Week is coming up October 5-11. In my house, not only did we obviously go to the local fire station for their Open House (check to see if yours has one coming up!), but we also practiced our EDITH drills. And, of course, when the time changes, it is time to check those smoke detectors and replace their batteries.