The leaves are falling…into your rain gutters! Get out there while you can enjoy the temperate autumn weather and tackle these eight fall home maintenance tasks. Your gutters, lawn, and wallet will thank you for it later!
Fall Home Maintenance Task 1
Clean out the gutters. Getting all the leaves out of the gutters is a task, but well worth it. Depending on the types of trees you have around your home, this is a job you can tackle in early or late fall. Preventing the leaves from clogging the gutters is important in winter months where rain water will freeze and crack the gutter. Replacing gutters is not a fun or cheap task. Don’t forget to check the downspouts for leaves too.
Fall Home Maintenance Task 2
Clear out window wells. Now is the time to clean out all the yard debris and leaves from the window wells. Large piles of leaves can prevent water from draining properly and push it into your home even with the smallest of rain showers.
Fall Home Maintenance Task 3
Fertilize the Yard. Get your yard ready for spring by giving it some food before it goes dormant. The grass will store this extra energy over winter and use it to kick start growing in the spring. Are you unsure of the specific fertilizer you need? Check with your local garden center to find the best fertilizer for your grass.
Fall Home Maintenance Task 4
Drain Outdoor Faucets. Turn off the faucets from inside the home and drain the remaining water. You can invest in covers that can give added insulation and protect the pipe from cold winter temperatures. Don’t forget to drain all the water out of the hoses too.
Fall Home Maintenance Task 5
Change The Filters. Now is a good time to change the filter in your furnace and perform any other maintenance before you need it to warm your home. While your at it, also change the other air filters around your home since they have probably caught a lot of debris in your home throughout the summer months.
Fall Home Maintenance Task 6
Test the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. This is one of the most important fall home maintenance tasks because it keeps everyone in your home safe. Make sure that all detectors are functioning properly by testing them. Replace batteries in all the detectors even if they are hard wired. The batteries provide a backup system in case the power is out.
Fall Home Maintenance Task 7
Clean your Mower. After the last cut of the season, clean all the grass out from the underside of the mower. Adding a fuel stabilizer will help the gas from degrading over the winter.
Fall Home Maintenance Task 8
Get winter ready. Rather than digging through your cold garage to find the ice scraper or trying to start your snow blower in freezing temperatures, pull out these items now and perform any maintenance.
Do you have any other must do fall maintenance task in your home? We’ve got some tasks we do in the fall, but just not every year. Painting the deck, power washing our home and sidewalk, and sealing the driveway are just a few. I have to admit that cleaning the gutters is my least favorite task. What fall maintenance task do you dread? Let me know in the comments!
