How to Prepare your Cleveland Home for the Ohio Winter

Winter is here, and there are two types of people right now… those that are prepared, and those that are not. More specifically, the two types of people are actually, those who have prepared their homes, and those who have not. Cleveland can get extremely cold in the winter, and the last thing you want to do is to forget about taking care of what is probably your most expensive and most important purchase you’ve ever made. That would definitely put a damper on the holiday spirit. We’re going to break down the steps to preparing your home so that you can be ready for when the cold comes, because it will. With that being said, let’s get right into the list of how to prepare your Cleveland home for the Ohio winter.

• Install weatherstripping: One of the worst things, when you are trying to keep your house heated in the winter, is when that warm air is escaping through cracks. The solution? Weatherstripping. Simply figure out where the cold air leaks are and install foam or felt weatherstripping wherever there are cracks. This is one of the most inexpensive tips for preparing your Cleveland home for the winter, but it can make such a big difference. This will affect both the amount of heat staying in your house, as well as the money you will save when the heat you are paying for stays in the house as opposed to leaving and costing you more on your heating bill.

 

• Insulate your hot water heater: Another inexpensive idea, insulating your hot water heater, will be sure to help you save on fuel costs. This can actually cut your heat losses by 25 to 45 percent. This could also save you 7 to 16 percent annually on your water heating bill, according to energy.gov. Utility companies will usually offer you the insulation and in some cases will even insulate your hot water heater for you. This big money saver is an important one when it comes to figuring out how to prepare your Cleveland home for the winter.

 

• Tune up your heating system: The best, and most obvious, way to make sure your heating system will get you through the cold Cleveland winter is to get it checked out before the winter fully hits. The goal is to make sure that your heating system is reaching its manufacturer-rated efficiency. This just tells you that it is working as well as it can be to keep your home warm. With so many heating system issues in the winter, this step can be vital if you don’t want to be on a huge waiting list to have someone come out and fix your heating system. Being without heat for multiple days in the winter definitely doesn’t sound that fun, so we decided that this step needed to go on our list of how to prepare your Cleveland home for the winter.

 

• Reverse your ceiling fans: In the winter, you want your fan to run in a clockwise direction. This is because, according to energy star, an updraft is produced by the fan which pushes heated air down. This is just a simple little trick to save on energy costs, and it is the easiest on our list of how to prepare your Cleveland home for the winter. Why not give it a try?

 

• Caulk doors and windows: Next on our list of how to prepare your Cleveland home for the winter is caulking your doors and windows. Similar to installing weatherstripping, caulking will help to seal up the cracks and crevices that warm air escapes from and cold air enters through. Simply head to a home improvement store and pick up a container of caulk. This process typically takes just a few hours and is pretty inexpensive for the most part. Not only does this help in the winter, but it will also keep the hot air out in the summer. Now your house is ready to take on the entire year.

 

• Clean the gutters: Cleaning out your gutters is one of the pricier things on our list of how to prepare your Cleveland home for the winter, but it is nevertheless an important one. If your gutters are jam-packed, water finds a way to back up against your home and damage things such as your roof or siding as well as potentially causing leaks. With that being said, this precaution is definitely worth the price tag that may come with it. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to preparing for those cold Cleveland, Ohio winters.

Stay warm everyone!
There you have it, the most important items on our list of how to prepare your Cleveland home for the winter. It’s very important to think about all of these precautionary measures because Cleveland is awesome, but let’s face it, it can get extremely cold. The last thing that you want is for one of your biggest assets to get damaged, or cost you more than it needs to, simply because you didn’t prepare properly. Consider an updated home insurance policy before end of year as well. With all of the family and friends that will most likely be visiting this holiday season, this will ensure everything is up and running as it should be. So do the preparation work, and let yourself enjoy this holiday season, relaxing with family and friends. Stay warm, everyone!