We all need somewhere to call home, a place to rest our bones at the end of each long day. Somewhere to put your feet up, enjoy a movie, book, card or board game, or nibbles with friends and family. Your home is your haven, castle, and place of relaxation and restoration. Yet owning a home, or even renting, requires that you take care of the place where you live. That means ongoing maintenance, some repairs if required and preparing the home for each season and the unique weather patterns that accompany it.
This helpful article will share how you can prepare your Melbourne home for the winter months in particular, so read on to discover some tips for ensuring you stay warm and comfortable during this coming cold period.
Upgrade Your Curtains
By investing in some curtains in Melbourne, you can increase the thermal efficiency of your inner city home to a surprising degree. How so? Because thick curtains or drapes act as excellent insulation for your windows.
Any Melbourne resident knows all too well that windows are one of the entry points for cold air and the exit points for warm air from a heat source within your home. So unless your windows are double-glazed, which not every home can boast, some decent curtains will be required to trap the warm air in your home and stop the icy breeze from invading your living and sleeping spaces. As well as keeping your home warm from hour to hour, installing curtains on your windows will also help you save some money on your energy bills by not running the heater all the time.
Get Your Heating and Cooling Systems Serviced
The next step is to engage a climate control professional to come and service your heating and cooling systems. Like any machine, these appliances require regular servicing and maintenance to keep them running optimally. Your HVAC specialists or even a representative from your system manufacturer, can come and inspect or service your gas heater or split system air conditioner to ensure it’s running efficiently and with no concerns. And if any diagnostics are required, your specialists will hopefully be able to remedy any issues that might have popped up between services.
Remember that gas heaters should be serviced every two years, while split systems benefit from a service every year. If you’re renting, this responsibility lies with your landlord, so contact them or the property manager to arrange this.
Cover Hard Floors with Rugs
If you have hardwood, tiled or concrete floors, these can get especially chilly during the cold months. Anyone who’s stepped on a hard floor barefoot can attest to this. Thankfully you can mitigate this by the strategic use of rugs. Cover most of your hard floor surfaces with rugs, which you can match to your decor and paint schemes.
Another option is to invest in under-floor insulation, just as you would already have wall and ceiling insulation in your home. Although under-floor insulation may not be a feasible option for renters, homeowners are encouraged to make this change. You’ll find that your home can stay warmer for a lot longer, and you won’t have to deal with frozen toes first thing in the morning with a rug as well as under-floor insulation working in tandem to keep your feet nice and warm.
Tidy Your Yard
You’ll have a significant headache if you neglect your yard leading up to winter. Piles of leaves will degrade and get slimy and gross, and other dirt and random debris will accumulate if you don’t get on top of your seasonal garden maintenance now. So spend a few hours on the weekends leading up to winter to prepare your garden. This means weeding your lawn and garden beds, raking up fallen leaves and other debris, and just generally tidying your yard. The more work you do in the leadup to winter, the less you have to do when the weather is miserable.
Consider Insulating Your Home
An unfortunate fact about older homes is that they are often poorly insulated. Even some new builds suffer from this, too, as sometimes builders skimp on costs associated with insulation. If you can, invest in some ceiling, wall and subfloor insulation, as we mentioned earlier. A well-insulated home will retain its heat during winter, keeping you warm and toasty and also reducing your heating bill. Sure, the upfront cost may sting, but you’ll save money in the long run while also increasing the value of your home.
Clean Your Gutters
Autumn is the best time to clean your gutters and prepare for winter. Over time, leaf matter and other dirt and debris will fill your gutters, especially if you live near many trees. If left unchecked, this can cause your roof guttering to become waterlogged. And if water can’t escape through your downpipes, it will overflow and cause a severe leak. Cleaning gutters can be risky, as you need to get up on a ladder, so consider engaging a gutter cleaning professional who can perform the task safely and efficiently. Doing so may end up saving you thousands of dollars in the long term, alongside helping to keep your roof in great condition.
Get Draught Blockers
Cold air will often sneak into your home underneath doors, which can cause some surprisingly serious heat loss during winter. Thankfully, those snake draught stoppers you can buy at hardware or craft stores are a cheap and effective way to block draughts from entering your home and trapping the hot air from your heating within. And you can even make these yourself if you’re feeling crafty!
Swap Out Your Winter Linen
Last but certainly not least, one of the best parts of winter for many of us Melburnians is the opportunity to snuggle up in bed or on the couch in plenty of cool weather layers. The first item on many winter to-do lists is simply swapping out your summer bed linens for your thick and cosy winter ones.
So bring out your heavier blankets, doonas and other warm linen to prepare your home for winter. Put the summer and autumn ones away in your linen cupboard or other storage area. After all, you can avoid using the heater at night if snuggled under your thicker winter covers. And by donning a good pair of woolly socks too!
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We hope these tips will prepare your home for winter in Melbourne. Be sure to follow these tips for a warm, comfortable and cosy winter and explore how we make the most of winter Around Melbourne.