Eleven Steps To Prepare Your Home For Autumn
Although it’s sad when summer ends, autumn can be just as enjoyable. It’s the season when sun and salads are swapped for cosy evenings and hearty meals. However, this time of year is always going to be more comfortable if you’ve prepared your home properly.
How do you do that, you ask? From practical improvements to simple styling, here are eleven steps to prepare your home for autumn.
Ready the gutters
Although it might seem like we’ve already had a lot of rainfall, it’s only likely to increase as autumn approaches. So it’s a good idea to ready your gutters for this seasonal shift in weather. You can do this by clearing out debris and repairing or replacing sagging and broken sections. If your gutters usually struggle to cope with heavy downpours, installing new guttering could be the way forward. To be sure, get advice from local trades now before the weather gets too bad.
Sweep the chimney
If you plan to light your stove or fire again this autumn, it’s best to get the chimney swept in advance. This will remove flammable debris from your flue, to keep you safe from chimney fires and will reduce the risk of carbon monoxide in your home. It will also help to keep smoke to a minimum. It’s worth getting stoves and chimneys checked over at the same time, so you know they’re in good working order.
Service the boiler
Your fireplace isn’t the only heat source that needs maintenance. Boilers need servicing annually to ensure they’re safe and efficient. As the boiler plays an important role in keeping your home warm and cosy during the autumn, now’s a good time to get it looked at – even if you think it’s fine. Doing this now will mean you’re less likely to encounter problems when the cold weather hits.
Bleed the radiators
Along with servicing the boiler, it’s a good idea to bleed your radiators. When air gets trapped inside your radiators, they don’t warm up properly. This makes it harder to keep your rooms cosy without having your heating for long periods of time. So, to reduce your energy bills and ready your home for autumn, it’s time to dig out that radiator key.
Top-up your insulation
Of course, if want to heat your home efficiently, you need to stop the warm air escaping. One simple way to do this is to top up your insulation. Ideally, blanket loft insulation should be at least 270mm deep but many homeowners are now upgrading to a 300mm thickness. If you have 200mm of insulation at the moment, you can simply lay a 100mm roll over the top to achieve this. However, the existing layer must be dry and in good condition.
Change window dressings
Another way to boost warmth is to swap out light window coverings for heavier fabrics. This also helps to ramp up the snugness of bedrooms and lounges, ready for those cosy evenings in. Deeper colours such as dark greens and blues, and materials like velvet, are great for increasing those cosy vibes, while browns, reds and oranges conjure up an autumnal ambience. Alternatively, you could add a thermal lining to your existing curtains.
Bring out the candles
Along with more sumptuous window dressings, there are other simple styling tricks you can use to make your interiors cosier and more autumnal. One of the best ways to embrace the darker evenings is to light your rooms with the warm glow of candles. For an extra autumnal touch, pick candles with woody or spiced scents and use amber glasses as holders.
Clean the windows
As the mornings get darker, it can be harder to get out of bed and the daylight often fades before we’ve finished cooking and eating. So, it’s important to let as much natural light into the home as possible. It helps to lift the mood and helps your houseplants to stay healthy. And if the sun’s shining, it can raise the temperature inside by a degree or two. That’s why cleaning the windows is an important step in readying the home for autumn.
Renew your doormats
As the weather changes, so does the amount of debris that finds its way into your home. With muddy dog walks and rainy school runs it can be hard to stop your family traipsing dirt into the home. To keep floors as clean as possible, it might be worth renewing your doormats. For easy maintenance, go for something that’s both absorbent and washable.
Deep-clean the oven
At this time of year, the oven comes into its own. There’s nothing better than warming, hearty meals on a chilly day. So, it’s worth giving the oven a deep clean in preparation for all those stews, roasts and crumbles. If you don’t fancy scrubbing racks and doors yourself, there are specialist cleaning services you can hire.
Install an outdoor fire
It’s not just inside the home that can benefit from autumn preparations. There are things you can do outside too. If you want to keep using your garden as the temperatures drop, then it might be an idea to install an outdoor fire. This could be a warming stove, chiminea or fire pit. If you fancy grilling food or mulling some drinks while you’re at it, choose one that comes with a cooking shelf.
