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Get Your Garage Ready for Winter

They are many things to do to get ready for the winter. One of them being your garage. Likely you’ve had your tool and decorations out all summer but now that fall is here it’s time to bring that all inside. Do a swap and bring out your winter tools, have them all organized before the snow comes. Winterizing your garage can save you from slips and falls, frustration, and piles of snow in your drive way. Here are a few helpful tips for your winter to go smoothly this winter.

1. Put Up the Summer Tools and Get Out Your Winter Tools

To have a smooth winter, you’ll have to get your winter equipment out and stored in an easily accessible place. Everyone hates to be standing out in the cold longer than they have to. Also, that shovel you had last year seems to have just disappeared over the course of the summer. It’s best to try and figure out where that wandered off to before the first snow. If you have a snow blower, a good tune up is important. If you didn’t properly drain it and store after last winter then some of the tubing could be clogged. This can be easily fixed however, its best to fix it before you have to use it. Taking a moment before winter starts is the best time to do this.

Organizing your tools in a way that makes them accessible is very important. When the frost has come you need to know where the scraper is to get it off your windows and the snow off the driveway so that it doesn’t ice up after you drive over it. In addition to this, getting out the winter tools means that you’ll need to put away the summer tools. Organizing them in a way that makes it easier for you use them come spring. Just as the tubing on the snow blower can clog up, so can the tubes on your lawn mower and weedwhacker. It’s important to drain them to ensure that you will have an easy start up in the spring.

2. Non-slip Floor

No matter how careful we are or how old we are accidents can happen. Floors can be slick and slips can easily happen. This can be alarming especially if you have little ones or if your parents are getting up in years. Broken hips and head injuries can happen quickly on a slick floor. Making sure that you have mats on your garage floor in the proper places will greatly reduce the chances of someone slipping and falling. This will help in providing you security and comfort in knowing that your parents and kids will be safe throughout the winter.

3. Inspect and Replace Weather Stripping

Keeping your garage warm throughout harsh weather is vital especially if you have important piping that runs through the garage. It also protects the items that you store in your garage such as your car and other important things. The weather stripping on your garage door is important in keeping out the cold air and harsh weather. When inspecting the stripping check to see if it has hardened because of heat exposure. There may be cracks and tears or even weather stripping gone completely off of it. When you see any of the following it’s time to replace it with new weather stripping. Doing this will make sure that there is a tight seal to keep out the cold and snow.

The garage is probably the last place you’d think to get ready for winter but it is an important part of making the winter months go smoother. It also helps you to maintain your equipment for all seasons. By putting up those summer tools after preparing them for storage and getting out your winter tools to give them a tune up to be ready for use, preparing your floor for the slick and keeping your garage warm throughout the winter will give you the best results. Energy Smart New Homes cares about your home and your safety. By taking care to do a few things to get ready for the winter you, your family, and your home will be safe and warm. All of our homes our energy efficient, allowing you to get the most out of your dollar. Check out our homes to see just how we do that.

By Energy Smart New Homes 10-2-2017