4 Winter Tips For Your Home
Winter is just getting started! Cold temperatures, short days, long nights, and messy streets are still ahead, and it’s best to make sure your home is prepared for the winter. Here are a few tips to make sure your home stays warm, cozy, and protected.
1. Replace Your Carpets
No, you don’t have to replace your carpets every year. But if your carpets are getting close to retirement age, there’s no better time than winter to go for an upgrade. Brand new carpet is more comfortable for those cozy nights in front of the fireplace. It’s more resistant to stains, thanks to modern materials and factory-applied stain-resistant coatings. And upgraded carpeting and padding can substantially upgrade the insulation of your home, keeping you warmer and reducing your electric bill.
If you’re ready to upgrade, book an appointment at Sloane’s! We carry top-shelf irregulars from all the top name brands for 50 to 70 percent off retail prices, so you can get the best available carpet for less.
2. Protect your Pipes
Nothing ruins a home like a burst water pipe. Major leakages can ruin paint, drywall, carpet, subfloor, and even structural elements of your home. Water expands when it freezes, blocking and rupturing pipes, so it’s important to make sure that the water in your pipes stays liquid.
If you have outdoor faucets and sprinkler systems, drain the water from them entirely until the spring. Disconnect outdoor hoses and store them indoors. As for the pipes that run through the indoor parts of your house, it’s important to keep them warm. Make sure you have the proper insulation in place, and don’t let your thermostat dip below 50 degrees, even if you’re on vacation.
3. Stay Warm
The best time to make sure your heating system is in good working order is in the summer when you don’t need it. The second best time is right now. Turn the heat all the way up to make sure that hot air is being circulated everywhere in the house, with no blocked vents or dead spots. Check your filters, especially if you have pets in the house — trapped animal hair can greatly reduce the efficiency of your heating system — and replace them if needed.
Finally, consider installing a smart thermostat. A smart thermostat can turn down the heat at night or while you’re out of the house, saving energy when you don’t need it, or it can turn up the heat on especially cold days to make sure that the pipes in your walls stay warm.
Finally, switch the direction of your ceiling fans to blow upward, not downward. Warm air tends to linger near the ceiling, so set your fans to stir things up and circulate heat better throughout the room.
4. Keep the Heat In and the Cold Out
A nice breeze can be refreshing on a warm summer day, but a cold draft is the last thing you want to feel in the dead of winter. Go around the house and feel for cold air coming in through gaps in doors and windows.
Around window frames, caulk will seal gaps and keep cold air from sneaking into your home. For the areas around doors and windows that open, foam weather stripping can make sure that the gaps are closed when the windows are shut. For the gaps underneath doors, you can buy thin cushions that will stop drafts and keep toes warm. And it never hurts to hang thick thermal cushions over windows that you don’t need, providing extra insulation.
Stay Warm With Sloane’s
If you do find yourself needing a new carpet this winter, stop by Sloane’s! We have a wide variety of styles, colors, materials, and textures to suit any home and any style, and our prices are simply the best in the business! Book an appointment to come by our showroom, and our carpet experts will find the flooring that’s best for you.