How to Get Your Home Ready for Winter

Helpful Tips for Protecting Your Property

Although it might not seem like it with all the warm weather we’re having lately, winter is right around the corner. The harshest season of the year requires preparation and planning to ensure your home is protected against the elements.

Here are a few ways you can prep against the coming snow, wind, and rain:

Protect Outdoor Furniture and Items

Clean cushions, outdoor rugs, and decorations with soap and water. Make sure they’re dry before covering them tightly with tarps or bringing them inside. Garages and sheds offer much more protection from moisture and rot than keeping them outside, but if you don’t have the extra space, make sure they’re covered well.  

Tackle Lawns and Beds

Mulching adds another layer of protection for trees and plants. It helps plants bloom stronger and brighter as soon as spring arrives. Aerate and overseed your lawn to give it breathing room as it transitions into the cold season. You can lightly scatter shredded leaves over your lawn and beds to enrich the soil over the winter. This also helps water and nutrients reach the soil quicker and easier.

Clean and Store Tools

Go through your lawn care equipment, making sure to clean any rusted blades and oil as needed. Check your lawn mower and edge trimmer blades. Rinse and put away gardening tools and empty pots. Also be sure to tightly close any containers of birdseed so rodents don’t get into them.

Cover Vulnerable Plants

If you need to protect less hardy plants, you can bring them inside or cover them with burlap. Newly planted trees and shrubs should also be covered. Frost cloths are also available for purchase at a garden store. Annuals are meant to die each year, so you don’t need to cover them.

Selectively Edit Your Surroundings

Flush out your hoses and gutters to clear out clutter. Winterize any water features so ice doesn’t freeze in pipes. Prune and cut back trees and shrubs to protect from breakage due to heavy snow and wind. Perennial flowers need to be trimmed before the winter season. Evergreens, ornamental grasses, and a few other plants can be left alone. 

Take the time and effort now to protect your investment. It will also help make spring cleanup easier once the cold season ends.