With the summer season turning the corner and heading towards fall, its time to start thinking about the wrap up of summer and the approach of winter. And while that doesn’t mean you need to immediately picture cold temps, icicles, and snow-covered driveways, it also doesn’t hurt to start that end of summer / early fall checklist. Here are a few things to consider as the dog days of summer wind down:
Take care of your lawn
Summer runs through the sprinkler, lawn games, and the hot weather have given your lawn a workout this summer. Consider some end of season maintenance such as aeration and fall fertilizer to prep your lawn for winter and help it pop next spring.
Prep for the snow
With winter on the horizon, think about pulling that snow blower out and making sure its ready to roll. Checking early will make sure there’s plenty of time for any necessary tune ups as well as being ready for any unexpected fall snow storms.
Clean your gutters
Keeping gutters clean will help water flow off your roof and to the ground. As the leaves begin to fall, make sure your gutters are properly cleaned to prevent water / ice build up. If you don’t have a blower, a plastic spatula makes a great tool to get any difficult leaves and debris out of your gutters.
Change your smoke detector batteries
As fall and daylight savings time approach make sure to have batteries on hand to change out your smoke and CO2 detector batteries. If you have any battery operated home security systems, fall is also a good time to change those batteries as well.
Bring in temperature sensitive items
Look around your house for anything that shouldn’t stay outside this winter. This can range from patio furniture, to hoses, to latex paint from a summer project. Keeping temperature sensitive items in the correct location / temp will help to improve their service life and also prevent any messes / unwanted surprises in the future.
Check your furnace and change the furnace filter
With the cold temps approaching, do a test run of your thermostat and furnace on “heat” to make sure your home will heat as it should. If it’s time for a new furnace, or if you think yours needs a tune up, schedule an appointment with one our trusted partners to keep your home warm and snug this winter. Don’t forget to change out your any filters as well!
With plenty of summer still left, we hope these few things will help you prep for fall without causing any late fall / early winter panic. If anything on this list, or your own to-do list for that matter, seems too daunting to completely, RTH Property Management is here to help with all your fall round up needs. So sit back, relax, enjoy the rest of summer, and give us a call—we’ll take care of everything!