Winter is here and it is time to make sure your home is winterized. There are practical ways to get your home ready for the winter while keeping your family warm and healthy. I’m not trying to be negative here but far too many of us women rely on men to handle these sort of tasks while many of them can easily be taken care of by women. The below tips are easy enough for even non-handy moms to do. Try it, you might even like the sense of empowerment it gives you to take care of your home.
This is a sponsored conversation for Filtrete.
Tips for Winterizing Your Home
- Clean Gutters – Clean your gutters to prevent ice dams. We cleaned our gutters last week since most of the leaves have finally fallen. (We did this as a team with hubby doing the actual gutters while I helped clean up the leaves below.)
- Windows – If you can feel the air outside through your windows, consider adding new caulking or a window insulator kit that is basically like a shrink-wrap for drafty windows. (Anyone can do this.)
- Chimney Care – Get your chimney inspected every year to see if you need a chimney sweep. This is on our to-do list since we haven’t even used the fireplace in a couple years. (All this takes is picking up the phone and scheduling the inspection/sweep.)
- Reverse Fan Direction – If you have ceiling fans, reserve the direction so that the blades turn clockwise. This will push warm air downward and keep it circulating. (Easy peasy)
- Change Smoke Alarm Batteries – We check and change our smoke alarm batteries when we change our clocks twice a year. If you haven’t with the time change, now is the perfect time to check them. 1 in 5 smoke alarms have dead or no batteries. (Anyone can switch out batteries, the key is remembering to do it.)
Check Insulation – You should have a min of 12 inches of insulation in your attic. A trusted AkronOhioMoms.com partner, TruGreen is offering insulation service now, request a free inspection. (Pick up the phone and call.)
- Change Furnace Filters – An old filter impedes air flow and could reduce the efficiency of your furnace. It is also practical way to protect your family from germs at home. A Filtrete Healthy Living Filter uses electrostatic technology to capture nasty germs, bacteria, and viruses from the air your family breathes every day and night, as well as the dust and allergens in your air. (This was tricky for me the first time but after my husband showed me, I have no problem changing the filter, although my husband does it usually.)
America’s Most trusted contractor, Mike Holmes reminds us how important it is to change your filters regularly.
He suggests keeping your furnace blower on to circulate the air, this is something we do all year round and we’ve noticed a difference with allergies and sickness.
Filtrete Healthy Living Filter
Upgrade your furnace filter this Winter with a Filtrete Healthy Living Filter, MPR 1900. It captures small particles including bacteria and viruses as well as 93% of large airborne particles including dust, pollen, mold spores and
dust mite debris. They are trapped in the filter and not floating around in the air your family breathes. In fact, the Filtrete Healthy Living Filter captures 4X more microscopic particles like smoke, smog, pet dander and particles that can carry bacteria and viruses compared to ordinary pleated filters. It could very well be the best $20 winterizing investment you do for your family’s health this Winter.
Buy Filtrete filters at Lowe’s, Target, Walmart, Costco and your local hardware store. Find your nearest location.
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This was a sponsored post. My own opinions were used based on my perceptions and experience. Thank you to Filtrete who provided the products for review.
