This is a collaborative post.
It may only be August, but Winter is not too far away. You might not like to think about it too much because you’re trying to enjoy the summer, but the fact is that time won’t stand still. Soon enough, the air will be much cooler and the leaves will start to fall. By the time that starts happening, you’ll want to have already started preparing your home to be safer and more comfortable when the cold temperatures arrive. With that in mind, keep reading to find out how to prepare your home for winter.
How To Prepare Your Home For Winter – 5 Essential Steps To Start Right Now
1. Careful Furniture Arrangement
Did you know that the way you arrange your furniture can have a huge impact on the comfort and warmth of your home during the colder winter months? This could be the ideal thing to think about as the summer draws to a close. You’ll want to look at where the natural light comes into your home and consider moving things around so that you can make the most of it. Having your sofa in a patch of sunlight will give you an extra layer of warmth, making it more comfortable to sit there (it might not be a lot during winter, but it’s better than nothing).
If you have a fireplace, you can arrange your furniture to make your fireplace the focal point of the room. That way, you can really make the most of the warmth when you light it. Even just looking at a fire can give a feeling of cosiness and comfort. On top of this, you could try placing your furniture closer together, as this makes a room feel more intimate and close, which can be exactly what’s needed during the winter.
2. Improve Your Conservatory
If you have a conservatory, you probably love spending time in there during the summer. It can be the ideal place to relax with a book or to listen to music, and you can even use it as an extension of your garden so that guests can have somewhere to go inside if they want to. Perhaps you serve food there, or maybe it’s the room with the best views and the most comfort.
Whatever you use it for during the summer, what happens to your conservatory during the winter? Maybe the room just gets shut up, and you don’t really go in there because it gets too cold, and it’s no longer the comfortable space you’re looking for. That seems a shame, and a waste of space, especially if you could put it to good use as a dining room, home office, or playroom, for example.
One thing that could help you make more use of your conservatory over the winter period is to replace the roof with polycarbonate sheets from Clear Amber Shop. These sheets can help to retain heat in the conservatory so you can enjoy the room without getting too cold. Even better, these special sheets are easy to install or you can have experts do it for you, making this a quick and relatively inexpensive way to prepare your home for winter.
3. Add Winter Decor
This idea might not appeal to everyone, as it can require effort and some expense too. However, adding winter decor to your home can make a great visual impact as well as make it more comfortable to enjoy during the winter.
If you’ve got lightweight curtains or throws, for example, you can switch them for thicker, cosier ones. Comfy blankets, plush cushions, and thicker curtains that look wintry and also keep in the heat are great additions. To make things feel even better, why not add a thick rug to keep your feet warm as you move around? This can be wonderful in the living room but don’t forget how nice it would be to have a comfortable floor in your bedroom too, especially if the floor is usually cold in the morning.
For an extra touch of warmth, include some soft lighting with table lamps and candles or a well-placed string of fairy lights. When you’re snuggling up in the evenings, you’ll be glad you put in the effort and made your home just right for winter.
4. Seal Gaps
Sealing gaps is easy to forget about but it can really make a difference when it comes to preparing your home for winter. Perhaps you don’t think your home has any gaps, but the likelihood is there are at least a few to deal with – you’re just not always aware of them until you start looking.
Check around your doors and windows for any gaps or leaks that might be allowing cold air to come into your home. When you’ve got gaps like this, you’ll have to turn your thermostat up higher, which costs you more, makes your home less energy efficient, and is bad for the environment. By looking for gaps and sealing them with caulking or weatherstripping, you can save money and the planet while also making your home a warmer place to be.
5. Prepare The Exterior
When you prepare your home for winter, you’ll mostly be focused on the interior as that’s where you’ll be spending most of your time. However, there are some things that you’ll need to do to the exterior to keep your home safe and well-maintained.
One important task is to clean out your gutters to stop ice dams from forming, which could mean water isn’t able to drain properly from your roof, leading to damage. You should also cut any overhanging tree branches that could potentially fall on your home during a storm. Furthermore, seal any cracks in your driveway and paths to stop water from entering and then freezing, which could lead to more cracks and plenty of unsightly damage.
Even something as simple as investing in a good quality doormat can make a difference. It’ll stop ice, snow, mud, and rain from being tracked inside, preventing mess through the winter months and giving you a clean home to enjoy.
How do you prepare your home for winter?
Do you do any of the things mentioned in this post, to prepare your home for winter? Do you normally start your winter preparations in late summer, or wait until the colder temperatures set in? By getting started on these 5 steps right now, you will be well prepared in time for winter and you’ll be able to enjoy a cosy, comfortable home through the colder months.
