It feels like winter is well and truly on our doorsteps. With Christmas and other festive times just around the corner our minds are focused on all the lovely things to come. Spring is well known for the season where you start those yearly chores and get all the cleaning done. Just in time for the hot summer months ahead. But I feel this time of year is just as an appropriate time to do it. If we think about it logically Christmas normally means new things coming into our home. It could be gifts and toys for the children or new presents for yourself and family. It also tends to be a time where family from afar will come and visit or you may have a house full of guests on several days. So why wouldn’t we all want to get our homes in order for this time of year as well?
So I thought it would be a great idea to share with you some of those chores we can get done now. Getting ourselves and our homes ready for the colder and festive months ahead.
Get the boiler and heating system checked over
It’s obvious that when winter arrives so does the colder weather and even arctic temperatures and snow in some places. There are necessary chores that can be done around your home to prepare yourself for this. However, one thing I think can be forgotten is to check over your boiler and heating system. The likelihood is that you will forget to do this until the boiler breaks on the coldest day of the year. So don’t tempt fate and ensure that everything is in good working order. Of course, no one can predict if something is going to happen in the weeks ahead. But more often than not an engineer will be able to identify if there could be any issues that you might face.
Pull out all the furniture for a deep clean
Dust and all sorts of crumbs and things can gather under couches and sofas just as much in Summer as they can in winter. So now would be a great time to do that deep clean you have been putting off over the last few months. Of course, in the summer you have a valid excuse of enjoying being outside when the weather is good. It can be very therapeutic to pull everything away and get cleaning in all those hard to reach areas. Once it’s done your home will feel all fresh and clean once more. Which can be a pleasant feeling when you know family and friends could be knocking on for a festive cup of hot chocolate at any moment.
Get dusting
Just like dust and bits can gather under the furniture, it can also gather on everyday surfaces. Even in other hard to reach places like overhead doors or on top of tall furniture. The chances are there will be some cleaning needed in all the places that you don’t touch on your normal daily or weekly cleans. While you are on your deep clean mission make it a priority to give your home a good dusting all round. Again this is surprisingly comforting when you know you have less work to do to prepare your home for guests over the coming months.
Clear out those gutters and invest for the months ahead
With winter comes harsher weather and the chance are much wetter days. Rainfall can be quite severe at this time of year in some places. Having just been through the autumn period you may have noticed that there will be a huge amount of leaves everywhere covering the ground. These leaves will have also gathered in your gutters and gardens. Excessive leaves in your gutters can cause huge problems when the rain falls as blockages can cause floods or water gathering in places. It’s always a good idea to remove any fallen leaves from your gutters. But it is also the perfect opportunity to check out the condition of your current gutter system. You need to ensure there are no cracks or breakages. You may need to invest in some new gutters for the winter season ahead. Places like Advanced Exteriors has details online with some more information.
Give the landscaping a good tidy up
While you are looking at your gutters you may want to pay close attention to the rest of the garden area. Builds up of leaves and debris can cause all kinds of problems when not handled efficiently. Especially when the bad weather sets in. You may want to consider clearing out the fallen leaves or even using a dry day to tackle those overgrown hedges and trees. Even though you may not be spending much time outside it will still make you feel like your home is well presented.
Start decluttering now in time for the festive season
When the festive season begins we know that there is going to be an influx of things coming to your home. If you have children this might mean new toys and items to pay with. So a great thing to do now is to declutter your home to make room for new things. It’s the perfect opportunity to box away some of the older toys children have. Perhaps the ones that are a little young for them. You could then donate these or store them away for the future. You may also want to clear out clutter that can accumulate in drawers and on work surfaces. There is some useful advice online about how small and often decluttering can make a huge difference to your home.
Keep your home ventilated
Finally, with the heating cranked up and the colder weather, you are less likely to be opening those windows and letting air circulate. But try and make it a rule to do this every few days. It can make a massive difference to your home by keeping it ventilated and less stuffy.
I hope this has inspired you to get some of those chores done in time for the festive season.
