Tips to Prepare Your Home For Winter

Winter is coming. Sure, it won't be as dramatic as it is in Game of Thrones, but it won't be mild either. Every year the forecast seems to be that we will experience the worst winter in the last fifty years. And this year is no exception. You might need to store your summer clothes in order to make room for winter clothes. If that is the case, consider long term storage New York. But, what else is a person to do? Well, there are things you can do in order to prepare your home for winter. A cozy home is a great way to suffer through the winter blues and wait for the warmer days of spring.

If you prepare your home for winter you will even enjoy the cold days that will come.

Prepare your home for winter by insulating your windows

Over a third of your home's heat goes out through windows and doors. That is a lot. When you prepare your home for winter you need to think about how much time it will take you to prepare it as well as how much money you are going to spend. Luckily, insulating your windows is a cheap, effective way to reduce the waste of heat and make your home warmer. There are many ways in which you insulate your windows and we will list some that we think are the easiest to do. Just remember that preparing your home for winter is like scheduling your move in advance. The more time you give yourself, the better.

Window-film

Window-film is one of the best tools to insulate your windows. They come in large sizes that you can cut according to the size of the window. You can attach to the window by using the double-sided tape. Once placed it will create a dead-air socket that will hinder any air infiltration. Keep in mind that reflective window film differs from window film insulation. That is because reflective window film sticks directly to the glass while window-film insulation is put on the window frame.

Caulking

If you have damaged windows or damaged window frames, you best use caulking for your insulation. Simply apply the water-based latex caulk on any crack or hole that is 1/4 inch wide or less. Anything bigger than that requires different methods. If the surface is glass or metal you should use silicone-based latex caulk. Caulk is easy to apply, cheap and last a long time with little maintenance. The only downside that it won't look pretty on its own. You will probably have to do some touch up in order to make it look nice. Talk to Chelsea movers in order to find cheap ways to improve your home.

Weatherstripping

This method should be only used on parts of the window that is stationary. You can use foam, EPDM or felt weatherstripping to fill the stationary parts of the window. The biggest pro of weatherstripping is that it is extremely simple to apply. You simply unroll the weatherstrip and place it in the necessary place. Simple as pie. Just know that the weatherstrip will come off mobile parts and that you will have to reapply it. You need to keep this in mind when you prepare your home for winter.

You need to know all the different ways of insulating if you going to keep the cold outside.

Spray foam

This is what you use if the crack or the hole is too big for caulk. This method means that you will use polyurethane to fill the larger cracks. Simply spray the expanding foam into the crack and let it fill the space. Do not try to make the hole larger in order to make it more accessible. You need to be careful when fixing your home like this, especially if you are going to sell a house in NYC. The spray comes in a can with a large nozzle so you should be able to reach quite difficult places. If you cannot do it with spray foam, you can use another method or call professionals to help you. Be careful when using it and always keep in mind that it expands. You can easily overdo it and make a big, hard to clean the mess.

Thermal curtains

If you pay attention you will see that in some households there is a curtain for the winter and a curtain for the summer. Well, those are not just aesthetics. Thick draperies and blinds can provide much-needed insolation when winter comes. Thermal curtains are much thicker than regular curtains. They, also, have big tie-back that hold them close to the wall to reduce the waste of warmth. Furthermore, there are special blends that form air pockets that prevent the expenditure of heat. The U.S Department of Energy strongly recommends the use of these as it is proven that they aid greatly in reducing the waste of energy. There are even summer alternatives that can block heat and make your air conditioning much more energy-efficient.

Proper curtains can be a great help in insulating your home.

Get the rest of the home ready

Once you have dealt with the windows you can approach dealing with other parts of your home. Mind you that the windows are and always will be the most overlooked ways of preserving heat and that you need to take care of them if you are going to prepare your home for winter.

Check your heating system

While heating systems are made to last, there is some basic maintenance that is required. Now, when you do the maintenance of your heating system, you need to do it step by step. First, inspect the furnace. Check if there are any cracks, spills or marks and test if the indicators are inside the preferred boundaries. Next, clean your system as it is instructed in its manual. Do all this when you prepare your home for winter, as it will be much easier to find a professional to repair it if something is wrong.