House&Home
Get your
winter
ready for As the nights
start to draw in and the chunky knit jumpers come out of storage, it’s time to think about how to best prepare your home and garden for winter. With the arrival of colder weather, we’ll all be spending more of our time snuggled indoors, so make sure your space is as cosy and secure as possible – then, all you’ll have to worry about is what to watch next on Netflix.
Check smoke/carbon monoxide alarms
With the heating and hot water being used more, and log burners and fires merrily crackling away, it’s especially important that all your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are working as they should be. Test them out, replace the batteries and update any units if necessary – smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years, and carbon monoxide alarms every 5-10 depending on the model.
Bleed radiators
Ways to get your home winter-ready Clear gutters
With the autumn leaves falling and stormier winter weather meaning there’s an uptick in rainwater, you’ll want to ensure your gutters aren’t blocked. Clearing them of the usual debris of moss, twigs and leaves means rainwater will drain away from your house and won’t cause any troublesome issues with damp and mould.
After a while out of action, you might find when testing out your heating that your radiators are cold at the top and hot at the bottom. This means there’s air trapped in the system which prevents the hot water circulating properly. To bleed your radiators you’ll need to turn off the heating, locate the bleed valve and, using a bleed key, turn it 180º anticlockwise. Once the air has been released, it’ll start to drip water (keep a towel handy!) at which point you can close the valve.
Insulate your loft
You know the old adage: hot air rises. If your loft isn’t insulated, up to a quarter of the heat you’ve accumulated in your home will be lost through the roof. As well as keeping your house toasty, adding loft insulation will also bring down your energy bills, so it’s a win-win fix.
Draught-proof
If you live in an older or period property, it’s likely to be a bit draughtier than your average new build. Investing in heavier, lined curtains for winter – particularly in rooms you want to be cosy, like lounges and bedrooms – will stop draughts creeping in from windows. Draught excluders are also a handy fix for the bottom of doors so your toes can remain toasty no matter how miserable it gets outside.
Stock up on firewood/oil If you have an open fire or a log burner, you’ll want to make sure you have a good supply of kindling and wood dried out and ready for burning. Stock up well in advance and you won’t have to panic when a cold snap arrives. Similarly, if you have an oil tank, make sure this is topped up early to avoid the peak winter prices.
Get your boiler serviced
A broken boiler in the midst of a frosty spell is everyone’s worst nightmare, so take some time to ensure yours is in good working order. Test out your heating if you haven’t had it turned on since earlier in the year, and if necessary get in a professional (ensure they are a Gas Safety registered engineer) to give everything a service for ultimate peace of mind.
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