Cars can take a beating in the dead of winter. Dead leaves, slush, snow, ice and road salt can build up inside, making it constant battle to keep a car clean and comfortable. Inside, keep a trash bag, since the winter weather may keep you from hopping out whenever you see a convenient receptacle. Invest in a set of weatherproof floormats to keep the carpeting clean. Have a small box of wipes ready to clean the glass and plastic surfaces. Or garage your “nice” car in winter, suggests CarThrottle, instead using public transportation or buying a beater that can handle the snowy, sloppy weather.
Tag: winterizing
Save Money by Winterizing Your Home
There’s a chill in the air, and before you know it, there will be snow on the ground. That may sound like a harsh reality to contemplate in mid-October, but the good news is that you still have time to winterize your home in preparation for the colder temperatures.
Even if you live in a more temperate part of the country, a few quick, inexpensive steps will help you save money on utility bills throughout the winter months. Some can even make your home healthier and more comfortable while you save!
For example, the first thing to do — whether you own or rent — is to replace the furnace filters. This will help them run at optimum efficiency, saving money on gas bills, while also improving indoor air quality. If you have pets or allergies and can’t remember when you last replaced your furnace filters for a few months, the task is likely overdue.
Next, you should eliminate any drafts that might be allowing heat to escape from your home. Invest in doorway draft “snakes,” caulk and weatherstrip windows and doors, and pull out that window A/C unit. And to keep cold air on the outside of older, single-pane windows, LifeHacker says, tape bubble wrap to them or use a window insulation film.
Owners can improve their homes’ overall weather-readiness by adding insulation to walls, window frames, doorways, outlets, ducts, and especially attic floors and ceilings. And home-improvement guru Bob Vila recommends the installation of a programmable thermostat to avoid heating the house when you’re not there.
It’s also a good idea to insulate pipes, says Popular Mechanics. Not only will you pay less to heat water, you’ll protect your pipes against costly freezes and bursts during winter cold snaps. Foam pipe insulation is cheap and easy to install — and while you’re at it, “bleed” your water heater and turn it down to 120°F to save even more on utility costs.
Finally, The Art of Manliness says, take a cue from former president Jimmy Carter and put on a sweater! You’ll add about 4° of fully mobile warmth to your body, allowing you to lower the thermostat and potentially save hundreds of dollars. (Low on sweaters? Check out a local thrift store supplied by ClothingDonations.org to stock up on the cheap!)
Follow these tips, and you’ll be able to keep warm all winter long without breaking the bank.
Get the Garden Ready for Winter
To prepare your garden for winter, empty containers and pots and store them upside-down to protect them from damage, The Old Farmer’s Almanac advises. Keep the lawn mowed until snowfall to protect it from developing brown patches. Rake the leaves and compost them in a bin, or use them as a protective mulch for flower beds after shredding them with a lawnmower. When you’re done using the mower for the season, drain its fuel tank alongside other summer power tools. And finally, wash and oil your gardening tools before putting them away for the season.
The Groundhog’s Guide to Surviving Winter
Hang on to your warm, furry hats: Punxsutawney Phil, the world’s most celebrated groundhog, gazed at the ground and beheld his shadow Friday morning. This means six more weeks of frigid winter, if you trust the weather forecasting skills of this oversize rodent. —The Washington Post, Feb. 2, 2018
Right about now, it seems like winter might never end. So far, the season has brought snow to more parts of the country than usual, and long stretches of subzero temperatures to places used to the precipitation. And whether you believe in Punxsutawney Phil or real meteorologists, you can take a cue from the rodent charged with predicting winter’s length to survive it.
Groundhogs (or woodchucks) quite literally “hole up” for most of the winter. The average burrow is about 3 feet deep and 14 feet long, and includes 11 dens and galleries, including sleeping quarters, a nursery and a “bathroom.” Groundhogs keep these areas organized and neat — even waking from hibernation periodically throughout the winter for short bursts of housekeeping.
You can do the same! Nobody is going to judge if you want to spend some quality indoor time with the family, TV and couch when the wind blows and the temperatures drop. But at some point, you’ll have to harness the energy necessary to clean that nest.
Pick up detritus from meals and snacks as soon as you finish them. Make sure that all dishes go back to their designated areas for cleaning (and clean them on a daily basis). Gather up strewn-about clothing and blankets and get them into the washer. On a dry day, take dirty throw rugs, bedding and other mucked-up washables and put them through a cycle, too. Dust, sweep and mop to get winter dirt up and out of your home.
In completing these tasks quickly and continuously, you’ll make your space even more comfortable. You might also feel such a sense of accomplishment in getting those routine housekeeping chores done that you’ll be able to relax and “hibernate” more completely. You could even celebrate with a small reward such as a pizza or cup of hot chocolate.
In the spring — like the groundhog — you’ll be able to emerge from your burrow, enjoy the sunshine and indulge in healthy vegetarian options. But until the icy weather ends in six weeks, the challenge is to keep the space where you spend most of your time clean.
There’s No Dirt Like Winter Dirt
Many parts of the country that don’t get a lot of snow and ice did earlier this month, and it looks like there’s more to come. Readers who live in the North know how easy it is to bring mud, moisture and salt into the house, and have strategies to keep tracked-in dirt at bay. But some of these strategies bear repeating.
First, encourage everyone who enters your home to remove their shoes. This is the No. 1 way for winter dirt to enter your living space, and even the freshest, whitest snow likely contains salt, sand and other contaminants that will dirty the floors. Place trays or washable throw rugs by all exterior doors to catch the muck melting from footwear.
Throw rugs are often the best defense for high-traffic areas; they catch winter dirt and can be shaken out or thrown into the wash easily. Use them even on top of wall-to-wall carpet, since it’s difficult to get carpeting to look clean and bright again once people track dirty snow onto it.
Leave a towel by the door to wipe down your pets following a walk or romp in the snow, says the Vivint Smart Home blog. Many dogs and cats also develop thicker coats in cold weather, and ultimately shed more. Brush and groom them regularly to prevent that fur from flying everywhere and attaching itself to furniture and clothing.
If you haven’t already, change out the furnace filters, dust the ceiling fan blades, and vacuum refrigerator coils and blinds to keep allergens to a minimum while the house is closed up against the cold, House Logic says. Sheets, blankets and comforters also catch a lot of dust and dirt, so be sure to so wash them frequently.
Be vigilant. You can’t keep every speck of dust and dirt out of your house in winter, but you can keep it from building up, aggravating allergies and causing permanent damage to floors, carpets and other surfaces. Sweep, vacuum and mop frequently to get any dirt that’s brought into the house out quickly.
If the weather forecasts are correct, you’ll be spending lots of time indoors for a few more weeks, so take the appropriate steps to make sure your environment is clean and healthy. Then, count down the days until spring!