As the days get shorter and temperatures begin to drop, now is a good time to tackle a few simple jobs around the house. A little winter home maintenance can help keep your home comfortable, prevent small problems from getting worse and make sure everything is ready for the colder months ahead.
You don’t need to spend an entire weekend working through a huge checklist either. Many of the most useful jobs are simple checks that can be completed fairly quickly, from looking for draughts around windows to making sure your heating and ventilation are working properly.
Here are seven simple winter home maintenance jobs worth doing before the colder weather really sets in.
1. Check Windows and Doors for Draughts
Windows and external doors are a good place to start your winter home maintenance checklist.
Check around frames and opening sections for noticeable gaps or draughts. On a breezy day, you may be able to feel cold air coming through, hear a slight whistle or even notice curtains moving near a particularly draughty window.
Worn seals and small gaps around windows and doors can allow unwanted cold air into the home and warm air to escape.
Depending on the cause, replacing damaged seals or fitting suitable draught-proofing strips may help. The Energy Saving Trust’s guide to draught proofing explains some of the common areas to check and the different ways gaps around windows and doors can be addressed.
There is an important difference between unwanted draughts and intentional ventilation, however. Avoid covering trickle vents, air bricks or other ventilation openings while draught proofing.
While you’re checking your windows, make sure they still open, close and lock properly. A stiff hinge or handle is much easier to deal with now than when you need to open the window on a freezing January morning.
2. Give Window Frames, Tracks and Sills a Clean
Dust, leaves, pollen and general debris can accumulate around windows throughout spring and summer.
As part of your winter home maintenance, give frames, tracks and window sills a thorough clean before the weather deteriorates.
Start by brushing or vacuuming away loose dirt before wiping the area with warm water and a suitable mild cleaner. If your window frames have drainage holes, check that these are clear too.
Cleaning everything also gives you a good opportunity to inspect the area more closely. Look for damaged sealant, cracks, loose fittings or anything else that may need attention.
If you have sliding windows or doors, pay particular attention to the tracks. Built-up dirt can make sliding sections more difficult to operate and is much easier to remove before it becomes compacted.
3. Check Seals and Weatherstripping
Even when your windows and doors appear to be in good condition, the seals around them may gradually deteriorate.
Rubber seals and weatherstripping can become compressed, brittle, loose or damaged over time. Check around external doors and opening windows for obvious splits, gaps or missing sections.
Replacing a worn seal can be a relatively small winter home maintenance job, but it may help keep unwanted draughts under control during colder weather.
If you notice significant gaps, cracked sealant around the frame or signs that water is getting into the property, it may be worth arranging for the problem to be investigated rather than simply covering it.
And remember: don’t seal intentional ventilation points in an attempt to make your home completely airtight. Your home still needs adequate ventilation throughout winter.
4. Clear Gutters and Outside Drainage
Autumn leaves might look lovely on the ground, but they are less welcome when they start collecting in gutters and drains.
Leaves, moss, twigs and other debris can restrict the flow of rainwater. With the wetter weather winter often brings, blocked gutters may overflow rather than directing water safely away from the property.
If you can access them safely, check gutters and downpipes for obvious debris. If they are difficult to reach, arranging professional cleaning may be the safer option.
Don’t forget drains and gullies at ground level either. Clear away leaves and debris from around covers so rainwater can drain away effectively.
It is a simple addition to your winter home maintenance routine that could help you spot drainage problems before a period of particularly heavy rain.
5. Test Your Heating Before You Really Need It
Nobody wants to discover their heating isn’t working on the first properly cold day of winter.
Turn your heating on ahead of time and check that everything appears to be working as expected.
Make sure radiators warm up properly and check for any that remain noticeably colder than the others. If the top of a radiator remains cold while the bottom becomes warm, there may be trapped air that needs bleeding.
This is also a useful time to make sure radiator valves are moving freely and that large pieces of furniture aren’t preventing heat from circulating effectively around the room.
If your boiler or heating system is due a service, arrange it with a suitably qualified professional.
Testing things early is one of those winter home maintenance jobs that takes very little effort but could save plenty of inconvenience later.
6. Make Sure Your Home Can Still Ventilate
When temperatures fall, the temptation is to close every window and keep the house sealed until spring. Unfortunately, everyday activities such as cooking, showering and drying clothes indoors continue to add moisture to the air.
Good ventilation remains important throughout winter.
The GOV.UK Existing Home Ventilation Guide recommends keeping trickle vents open and unblocked and regularly cleaning extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens. Effective ventilation helps remove stale air and moisture from inside the home.
Check that kitchen and bathroom extractor fans are working and give any accessible covers a clean if they have collected dust.
Opening windows when necessary can also provide additional ventilation. You don’t necessarily need to leave them open for hours; even opening windows periodically can help replace stale indoor air.
Checking ventilation should therefore be part of your winter home maintenance rather than something forgotten as soon as summer ends.
7. Clean and Check Your Flyscreens
The busiest flyscreen season may be over, but that makes autumn and early winter an ideal time to inspect your screens.
Dust, pollen and debris can build up on the mesh and around frames and tracks during the warmer months. Cleaning this away before winter means your screens will be in better condition when you need them again.
Our How to Clean a Flyscreen guide takes you through the basic cleaning process for your screens.
Once clean, inspect the mesh and frame for obvious signs of damage. Look for small tears, loose mesh, damaged components or tracks that have become difficult to operate.
Depending on the type of flyscreen you own, it may remain fitted throughout winter or be removable for storage. If you do remove a screen, make sure it is clean and completely dry before storing it somewhere protected from damage.
Avoid stacking heavy objects on top of framed screens, as this could damage the mesh or distort the frame.
And if your existing screens need replacing before next spring, you can explore our range of Domestic Flyscreens for windows and doors.
Adding this check to your winter home maintenance list means there is one less job waiting for you when the warmer weather returns.
Why Is Winter Home Maintenance Important?
It is easy to put small household jobs off when nothing appears to be seriously wrong, but winter weather can expose problems that were barely noticeable during the warmer months.
A minor draught becomes much more noticeable when temperatures drop. A partially blocked gutter becomes more troublesome during prolonged rain, while poor ventilation may contribute to increased condensation once windows are being opened less often.
Winter home maintenance is largely about catching those little problems early.
You don’t necessarily need specialist equipment or a huge budget. Simply taking some time to inspect the areas of your home most affected by colder and wetter weather can help you decide what needs attention now and what can wait.
Get Your Home Ready for the Colder Months
Preparing for winter does not have to involve a huge renovation project.
Checking your windows and doors, clearing drainage, testing the heating, keeping ventilation working and looking after seasonal items can all help prepare your home for winter.
The best approach to winter home maintenance is often simply to start before you desperately need to.
Work your way through these seven jobs while the weather is still relatively mild and you can head into winter knowing you have already taken care of the basics.
