Don’t Laugh, But It’s Time To Winterize: My Daughter Says So
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The other day, my seven-year-old daughter Zoe said that because we’d been having some pretty cold nights and mornings lately, “it’s going to be a really cold winter.” Now, when most seven-year-olds say things like that, your reaction might be something like “How cute” or “Isn’t it great that she takes an interest in science!” But this seven-year-old happens to be a walking Farmers’ Almanac.
She’s been doing it practically since she could talk. Her dad would look at some clouds and say, “Hey Zoe, is it going to rain?” And sure enough, whatever she would answer would happen. We all rely on her when it comes to what weather gear we bring on a given day. I’m not kidding — my daughter predicts the weather.
So, even though as I write this it’s November and 80 degrees out, it’s time to winterize your home, because not only does Zoe say it’s gonna be a bad one, we all know this is Texas, and it could be freezing tomorrow. Don’t worry, Zoe says it’ll be quite lovely. Here are a few tips for winterizing:
Seal the Gaps
Have you had a look at your dryer vent lately? Not the one on your dryer, but the one that runs from the laundry room to the outside. Not only do you probably need to clean it, but, as you can see in the video, these vents are pretty notorious for having gaps around the edges where they exit the house. The gaps let cold air seep in and also provide easy access for vermin looking for a warm place to spend the winter.
Have Your Home Serviced for Pests
Many people are under the misapprehension that termites and other pests go dormant during the winter. Not so! In fact, both subterranean and drywood termites continue to feed and do their business during the winter months, finding the areas within and beneath your home that much more attractive during the winter because they can stay warm. If they gain a foothold now, they could spend the cold season happily munching away on your house unnoticed. It’s a good idea to have your home serviced for termites and other pests before winter for this reason.
Have Your HVAC Serviced
Since you likely haven’t had cause to turn your heater on yet, you may not have had the pleasure of that familiar smell when you first switch over from AC to heat. Know what that is? Dust. It means you need to clean your ventilation system. It’s a good practice to have your system serviced each year when you switch to make sure everything is running efficiently, clean, and ship-shape. Otherwise, you end up with dirty old rusty drippy stuff like in this video.
These are just a few tips, and if you want to learn some more, click here. I realize “winterize” feels sort of laughable since we’ve barely had fall, but as I said, this is Texas, and this time of year it could suddenly get cold any minute. So maybe think of it as “cold prep.”
