As we head toward winter and pull out warmer clothes, it’s also a good time to think about preparing your home for the change of seasons. It’s helpful to have a checklist of things to do so your home doesn’t experience any adverse effects of cold temperatures, ice and snow.

Here are 9 ideas to get your home ready for the change of seasons:

• Clean your gutters. Debris in your gutters, including fall leaves, traps water. You’re your gutters clear so everything runs through the gutters and away from your house
• Seal the driveway. Freezing water can make cracks worsen. Seal your driveway regularly to avoid damage.
• Check window and door weather stripping. Weather stripping is an inexpensive way to keep you home warm and reduce the potential for water getting in. This typically needs replacement every couple of years.
• Change the furnace/heatpump filter. The change of seasons is a great time to change your filter to make sure that your system runs efficiently, and that air debris gets removed.
• Remove any debris from your heatpump outdoor unit. Make sure that leaves and other debris aren’t blocking the flow of air into your outdoor unit. Use a hose if needed.
• Refresh the batteries in your smoke detectors. Many people do this when we change to and from daylight savings time. Whatever your routine, you want to make sure your detectors work properly.
• Clean your fireplace flue. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, be sure to clean the flue before starting your next fire.
• Tend to your landscaping. This is a great time to prune and tidy up your landscaping.
• Turn off outside water. Avoid frozen pipe issues by turning off your outside water during the coldest months. Be sure to drain your hose bibs and hoses so no water remains that could freeze and cause damage.

These ideas are offered to help you and your home make the most of the changing seasons. Once you have these items done, you are all set to enjoy all the things Reston has to offer in fall and winter!