Advertorial feature Are you ready for winter? I have to admit that apart from Christmas and the first day of snow, I’m not a winter lover. Just thinking about it makes me miserable. All the freezing cold days, mornings spent defrosting the car, getting the kids into 50 million layers of clothes, can we just skip January and February? Snow always looks lovely on Christmas cards but it causes so much disruption. Like it or not though, Winter is coming. At this busy time of year, we can be so focused on getting ready for Christmas that we might forget some of the other things we should be doing to prepare our families, home and car for the cold winter months. With this in mind, I’ve put together some tips for making sure you are ready for winter.
This post is written in collaboration with First Utility. I was compensated for my time to write it. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own.
Preparing your home for the winter
Get your boiler serviced
An annual service of any gas appliances including boilers is something that is easy to forget. Do you know when your last service was? Whilst you’re at it have you tested your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors recently? If your boiler is older it might also be worth considering taking out boiler cover in case it breaks down. No one wants to spend Christmas in the freezing cold.
Insulate your loft
There’s no point having an energy efficient boiler if all your heat is escaping through your loft. You could pay someone to insulate your loft or read this guide on how to insulate your loft if you think it’s something you could do yourself.
Clear your gutters of leaves
All those falling leaves over autumn can collect in your gutters blocking them. Now is a good time to clear them away.
Preparing your family for winter
Dig out the winter coats and woollies
If you’re anything like us the winter hats, scarfs and gloves will already be out and getting regular use but if not now is a good time to track them down and give them a wash ready for the cold weather.
Stock up your medicines cabinet
It’s a good idea to make sure you have paracetamol, cold and flu remedies ready for when those winter bugs inevitably hit.
Get your car ready for winter
Get your winter tyres put on if you live in an area where you need them. If you don’t need winter tyres, at least make sure your current ones have plenty of treads left on them. Make sure you’ve stocked up on de-icer and a good scraper, you don’t want to get caught out on the first frosty morning.
Preparing your garden for winter
We tend to cover all our wooden toys (sandpit, playhouse and mud kitchen) with tarpaulin to give them a bit of protection from the elements. We also planted spring bulbs a few weeks back. Don’t forget to look after wildlife this winter too. Put out some bird feeders, you could even make your own.