The end of the holidays has (already!) Sounded, it is time for you to resume the rhythm of the season by preparing you for a new year. Some will take the road to work, others of the school, however whatever the program of the coming months it is essential to organize in anticipation of the autumn and winter that are announced! Here are our recommendations for preparing your sweet home for the cold period.
Clean and sort
Enjoy the return of the holidays and the big waltz of the purchases of re-entry to make a big sort in your cupboards. Make room by giving / selling / throwing anything that is too small, worn, or worn over the last two years. Take the opportunity to store the strategic areas of the house such as the office, the refrigerator, the pantry, the bathroom closets … You will see that it is much easier to get back in the bath of the return when the house is perfectly ordered. Pre-re-entry is also the ideal time for cleaning work that we did not have time to do during the rest of the year: wash the windows, curtains, have the duvets cleaned at the laundry, shampoo carpet, etc. Taking care of the housework is also the assurance of a quiet winter!
Make sure you get back to school with a perfectly neat house! (Photo: Elfa)
Ranger and prepare the garden
From the first drops in temperature, do not hesitate to prepare your outdoor cold weather by storing all the garden furniture and barbecue after cleaning, garden hose, and plants sensitive to frost. Equip yourself with rolls of anti-freeze fabric for your shrubs that fear the cold (oleander, oleander …): you’ll be ready as soon as the thermometer goes below 0 ° C! Also remember to clean the terrace with soap and water, pick up leaves and dead wood and prune hedges (August and September being the ideal period). Pruning is generally done at the end of the winter, so do not touch your trees for the moment.
To prolong the life of your garden furniture and accessories, it is better to shelter them during the cold season (Photo: Garden Q)
Check the heating system
You will not be long in putting the chimney and / or the heating back on, so it is better to look at their proper functioning before using them. Another advantage is the availability of professionals in the sector, more easily reachable at the end of the summer than in winter. Side chimney or stove, a chimney sweeping of the flue is essential before igniting your first outbreak. Do not hesitate to ask the firefighters in your area about the best way to maintain your installation during the winter, they will be happy to answer you! If you have a heat pump, a gas or oil boiler, have it serviced by a licensed professional who will check that it is in good working order before start-up. If you have hot water radiators, they must be purged at least once a year, ideally at the end of the summer. Just open the radiator valve and then the purge lock to let the air in your radiators escape. When water gushes, it’s a sign that you can close everything!
Remember to have your boiler checked by a professional when you return from vacation! (Photo: Leroy Merlin)
Make the necessary checks
To finish preparing your home in anticipation of the cold, remember to check the state of the batteries of your smoke detector, to clean the various elements of evacuation of water (to remove the dead leaves in the gutters, the grids of evacuation on the ground …), and finally to check that the pipes of your plumbing are not exposed to the cold (the copper is sensitive to frost and can easily explode under the pressure of cold!).
