Fall Home Maintenance Checklist: 30+ Preps For A Cozy Winter

We all love Spring and summer outdoor living, but you need to have a solid Fall home maintenance checklist to have a cozy winter.

When you’re a homeowner, your time is inevitably tied up with maintenance around the home.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want any mishaps and issues in the middle of a cold winter. That’s why I’m sharing with you this checklist so that you can start “cozyfying” your home and making it ready for the cold temps.

Your Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

Prepping for Fall means lots of putting things away, and ensuring things are turned off and ready to weather cold, freezing temperatures (depending on where you live).

If you’re like me, winter is a tough time of the year. You want to be focusing on making winter bearable – not dealing with issues. You want to be doing fun winter activities instead of dealing with issues.

This list contains the key things you need to do to ensure that your winter has fewer issues and your home is weather-proof, as best as possible.

Preparing Your Home For Fall – Exterior Activities

These are key activities to do outside your home to prep it for winter:

Check your foundation – look for cracks and get them repaired
Inspect and clean your gutters
Clean up trees and shrubs: trim and cut dead branches
Clean up your dryer vents and make sure they are protected from rodents
Put away outdoor furniture
Drain and store water hoses
Shut off the outdoor water faucets and taps (usually a turn-off inside your home)
Check the exterior caulking on your windows and sliding doors
Winterize your doors: make sure your weather stripping is still good
Clean gutters and downspouts
If you have a drain on your property, ensure it’s clear of leaves
Rake your lawns and clear out old, dried-up plants
Put away any lights or decorations
Do a once over of your roof: have shingles replaced or anything that’s loose fixed
Clean out your garage and check weather strips to keep it cozy and warm(er)

Prepping For Fall – Interior Activity Checklist

While exterior activities are important for winterizing your home, there are many things to do inside as well.

Looking forward to the Springtime? Check out my Spring outdoor maintenance list.

Change the air filter in your furnace
Have your heating system serviced before you put it on
While you’re having your heating system serviced, have your water heater checked too
Check your weather stripping on doors and windows: you can get replacements to prevent cold leaks. Use a candle to check for drafts.
If you have a sump pump, check that it works. It may need maintenance to prevent basement flooding.
Test your carbon monoxide and fire alarms. Replace batteries when you have the Fall time change – Daylight Savings Time.
Clean out and prep your indoor humidifiers for cold and ‘flu season. Stock up on distilled water.

Additional Fall Home Preparations

While this post is mostly about maintenance, there are a few other preps you can make to the exterior and interior of your home.

Many of these are just preparing for the inevitable changes you’ll need to make to fun things like home decor. There are a few not-so-fun tips too – more practical than anything.

Exterior Home Preps

Get your Fall decor for your entryway ready (hay bales, pumpkins, candle holders, Fall florals and buckets)
Pull out your winter decorations: now is the best time to prepare when the temperature is still warm. Look at what you need to replace. Start planning on how you’ll outshine your neighbours.
If you live in a snow belt area, stock up on ice remover and make sure your shovels or snow removal machine is in working order.
For your car, replace the mats with winter ones if you have them, throw a ice scraper into your trunk or back seat, and update your emergency kit with a blanket and other essentials for cold temperatures.

Indoor Home Preps

Clean out your front hall closet and prepare your winter coats and boots. Make sure if you’ve got kids that you clear out those that are too small.
Take blankets and other cozy accessories out of storage. Consider things like hand warmers and other items that will keep you warm.
Have a drafty doorway and a whole bunch of old orphan socks? Create a sock snake to place at drafty doors. This is a great craft activity with little kids.
Stock up on vegetables that can last in a cold room. Onions, potatoes and cabbages can manage a few weeks to months in a cold cellar.
Get warm beverages and soups stocked up. Winter days are perfect for hygge moments with a good cup of tea, coffee or soup in a mug.
Do a thorough cleaning of carpets and things like your oven.