More Winter Preparations

[homealone]

I know that no one wants to even think of the winter season now, but it is actually something that needs to be thought of and prepared for.

Here are some tips to getting your home ready for those cold winter months that will help to save you money later on down the road.

Patio furniture is something to take care of. Use the same solution that you use to wash your car at home on the patio furniture to remove all the grit and grime that attacks it on a daily basis. Then when its clean take a scouring pad to it to remove any rust. Then when rust spots are gone take a bit of rustoleum paint to touch up those spots and help prevent future rust.

Now its time to tackle the cushions used on outdoor furniture. These should either be hand washed or machine washed. Read the instructions for care. Then allow them to dry well before packing them away for the winter. This will help prevent the cushions from rotting or growing mold.

There are some patio furniture which needs to be brought inside for the winter to prevent damage. Though anything that is left outside needs to be covered. If your not sure whether your furniture should be left out or stored inside take a photo of the furniture and head to a patio store, they will be able to tell you what it is made of and where it should be stored.


Water lines is yet another thing that needs to be taken care of before winter sets in. Find the water shut off valve and turn off the water. Then head outdoors and turn on the spigots to empty ALL of the water out of the lines. This prevents those pipes from freezing and breaking. Also if you have an irrigation system, it is best to contact an irrigation specialist to come in with an air compressor to blow all the water out of those pipes as well.

Then of course you will also need to do things like clean out the gutters. Water laying in the gutters can cause a lot of problems through the winter into the spring. At this time you may also want to consider installing mesh gutter guards to prevent future build up. There are gutter guards that promise to keep out all debris, however these have tiny holes in them which can get plugged up and cause more damage.

These are just a couple of things that should be done before winter sets in to help save your home and your wallet.

[flippinout]

Good pointers there. Thanks.

For those plastic chairs that you have for out door use, especially the white ones. They will, if left outside get a gritty film on them that is hard to remove. Well, dont throw those chairs away. You can get them sparkling white again with a little time and elbow grease.

Take the chairs outside, get a bucket of clear water to rinse them with, and some generic brand of Brillo pads to scrub the grime away with.

Brillo pads do not work as well as they are mostly soap and not enough steel wool mixed in to do the job the way the generic ones do.

It takes about 45 minutes to clean each chair this way but I guarantee you that when you are done, you will have new, bright white looking plastic chairs.

Be sure to store the chairs inside during the winter preferrably covered with a sheet. This will assure that they are great looking when you take them out for use next spring.

[flip_it_fast]

OMG I so don't want to think about winter time yet but here we are, literally at the end of summer. Actually where I am, right now it's in like the lower 40's!!! It was in the eighties this afternoon! It feels like Fall already.

We have been doing some things to get ready for winter. We have begun to get the firewood piled up. I bought plastic for the windows. The old man has remortared the chimney. Blah blah blah. I am getting the wintertime blues just thinking about it.

I hate winter. I hate the cold. I hate the snow. I hate walking in it. I hate driving in it. Heck i hate looking at it! I used to love it when I was younger but I am so over it!

Anyhow. Thanks for the great tips. We all do need to get a head start on the preparations.

As for the white plastic chairs, have you ever tried the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers on them? They are miracle workers!

[homealone]

Using the Mr Clean Magic Erasers on the outdoor plastic chairs is another way to get them clean, though as I mentioned before you can also use the same soap that you use to clean your car. That soap is made to more easily remove the dirt and grime that sticks to furniture that is kept outside.

Last Spring I purchase most of the stuff that I am going to need for this coming winter. Things like weather stripping, plastic, rock salt,new snow shovel and so on.

I did this because once spring is almost here, stores put this stuff on sale and I saved a lot of money and got myself prepared for this winter all at the same time.

Of course I will most likely find something else that I need and will have to go out and buy it, but that is alright because I know it won't be anything major.

[House on the Prairie]

I'm a huge fan of Mr. Clean erasers, but then I have a van-load of kids, so they come with the territory.

Speaking of winterization prep, should I be doing something special with my lawn mower and other gas-powered equipment I have in my shed?

[homealone]

Well to help prevent problems with your equipment next Spring House on the Prairie then it is a good idea to winterize it as well.

If you have a battery operated lawn mower then there really isnt anything that needs to be done, just make sure that the blades are clean and dried and that the battery is kept in working order.

Now if you have a gas powerd mower which most people do have, then it is a good idea to empty out the gas tank. Now the easiest way to do this is to just run the lawn mower until the tank is dry and it shuts off. Though if this is the way your going to do it, make sure that you do it outside rather than having the fumes build up in a shed or garage.

Next you will want to clean off the lawn mower to remove all build up of grass and other debris. Next it is a good idea to pull out the air filter and either replace it or clean it well before storage.

Also it is a good idea to change the oil as well before putting it away for the winter.

These tips also are recommended for weed eaters and other equipment as well.