Neighborhood Expert: Home maintenance reminders for the winter

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in Vienna. You can follow Laura on Instagram at @LauraSchwartzRealtor or her Facebook page. Laura can be reached at 703-283-6120 or [email protected].

Since you’re getting your ladder out anyway for holiday decorations, let’s take a look at the reminder list for general home maintenance for the winter months.

Some easy tasks to help save you from major damage and expenses!

• Clean your gutters!
• Check downspouts to make sure none are clogged and all are extended away from your foundation. Flexible extensions are 20% off today for Cyber Monday!
• Winterize your hose bibs: Turn them OFF from the inside of your home — meaning turn the water off (if you have a flat handle, it should be a 90* angle to the off position, or a quick youtube video search can help you with this). Turn them ON from the outside — it’ll drain the line of any existing water. You can also buy hose bib covers.
• Clean your fireplace (or get the whole thing inspected) if you’re planning on burning wood this winter. Depending on how frequently you use it will determine how often it needs to be cleaned.
• Check all of your batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors (if you have gas in your home).
• Now might be a good time to check out any trees hanging over your property. Remember limbs get heavy when they’re covered with snow and ice and can break and fall and damage your home. They can also be used by animals to crawl into your attic or chimney if you don’t have a chimney cap.
• Get your HVAC serviced. You should be doing this twice a year for regular maintenance. If you use a whole house humidifier, make sure you’re changing the filters to avoid mold growth.

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