Fall safety and security is important to help prevent danger in the winter. Check out our tips and tricks!
Unlike the winter, the fall is still predominated by rainfall. In the winter, the air becomes thinner and there is less water vapour, so you won’t see as much rain. However, if you haven’t protected your home from the elements, in the fall, you’ll end up paying in the winter. If you think you can take measures in your home during the winter, you’re in for a shock. Not only will it be difficult to implement them as working in the cold is never fun. But it might take time for those things to work. So we are going to give you some tips on not just how to stay warm, but to protect your home from the damage that almost always occurs in the fall.
Towel wedges
It might look strange and it could be a little annoying if you go in and out of the house a lot during the day. But, placing woollen towels at the foot of the door can trap the air inside and allow heat to remain inside the room. It can mean, you only need to turn the heating on very low and allow the hot air to circulate over and over until it encapsulates the room entirely. Towel wedging is what this method of energy saving is called. It’s simply using the thickness of the towel to stop natural draughts that occur in the home. If you place a feather at the foot of the door, even when all doors are closed, you will see it move. This kind of draught will prevent a room from stabilizing in temperature. But the towel wedge fixes this.
Clean the gutters
You have heard and read this so many times it’s not even funny anymore! Yes, you have to clean your gutters. But perhaps you have never been told why you need to do this and what actually happens if you don’t. Will the world end? No, but your home will be a giant puddle. This is because the fall leaves will be blocking your drain, as they fall onto your roof and then make their way into the gutter. When it rains it creates a flow of water that slowly pushes the leaves up against each other and along the side piping walls. This turns the leaves into mush, and when this mush accumulates, it can cause a blockage.
So you need to get a hose and shove it down the side piping. Use a torch to look inside and make sure no more leaves are in the openings. Pouring a non-stick liquid cleaner in the gutter, such as a lemon and bleach mixture, helps to prevent bird guano and leaves stick.
Flash floods
In the autumn, you’re more likely to suffer a flash flood than at any other time of the year, depending on where you live. If you live in climates that are unpredictable, such as Western Europe and East Coast the US, you are more likely to suffer a flash flood at least once during the year if you’re in a rural area near the water. So if you live near a river or stream, you need to have equipment such as submersible pumps at the ready. This pump can be used for your water tanks and mains during the other seasons. It helps to regulate pressures. However, during a flash flood, it can be used to submerge below the water and start pumping the water out of your home.
Buy sandbags for your home as this is the cheapest and often most effective defense. You should buy around 10 bags for each door. You need 3 for the bottom level, two for the additional weight, and then a half-circle of the bags to stop the water from getting close in the first place. Place the three into a semicircle and two for additional weight.
Area rugs vs throws?
If you have a nice floor, putting an area rug over the top is going to dampen the appeal of the room. However, if you don’t mind, then placing a shaggy, Merino or Scottish Highland sheep’s wool area rug in the middle of a room, is going to trap immense heat and keep you warm. Why these two types of wool? Merino wool is Spanish but is often manufactured in Italy. Italy is known to have the best wool and cotton processing techniques in the world. So even light and fine wool like Merino can be made into an exceptional rug that is thick and tight. Scottish highland sheep have very thick wool, and it’s often coarse and used for mattresses. This type of wool is brilliant for a shaggy rug.
But what if you love your floor and don’t want to hide it away for the next 3-6 months? Then throws for your sofa are another choice. They act just like area rugs, as they trap heat in their fibers and release it gradually. Throws are also usable to wrap yourself up and stay warm that way. But throws can just be placed over the sofas and they offer additional warmth for the room.
Clean your window sills
If you have a break in the window frame, you will develop mist and fog in the window which eventually causes a buildup of standing water. This may take a few days or a few hours. But, the key to avoid this is to seal the window frame, from the outside first! You need to have a good dry sealant on the outside and then you can fill in the gaps on the inside. Placing a towel in the window sill will also keep the heat from escaping your home. As you can see, towels come in very handy when it comes to temperature regulation.
Stay warm and stay safe this fall and winter. These simple techniques will not only do both but save you a lot of money on energy bills and repair costs.
