As you prepare for the colder weather it’s important to get your home ready, both inside and out. Winter in Melbourne can bring with it heavy rainfall, storms and freezing temperatures, but while it’s miserable outside, your home can be its own little oasis inside.
So, what can you do to help your home get through winter?
• Check your home for leaks and drafts. It’s quite simple to seal air and water leaks around your home, it will help prevent *cold spots* and can also help improve energy efficiency by stopping heat from escaping. Check windows for gaps or damaged seals and check under doors for signs of openings that should be sealed off.
• Clean your gutters. Now that trees have shed all their leaves it’s a good time to get those gutters cleaned out, especially before any storms hit. Blocked gutters prevent rain from draining away and this can result in leaks and damage to your homes foundations. Scoop leaves into a bucket and hose your gutters once they are clear. If you know this is a job that’s not right for you, call in the professionals.
• Be storm ready. Put together a small emergency kit, and make sure you are stocked up with candles, torches, batteries and a first-aid kit and some blankets. In case you are hit by a sever storm or power outages.
• Clean and replace air vents and filters – before you start using the heating in your home, it’s important to clean out the build up of dust and allergens inside filters and air vent. This will not only keep your family safe and healthy, it can help stop massive utility bills. Clean vents with a vacuum and brush attachment and wipe over with a cloth to remove any remaining dust or mould.
• If you haven’t already done so – replace the batteries in your smoke detector
• Test your heating appliance such as electric blankets and heaters for any faults or damage.
• Sort through your wardrobes – clean out and organise your wardrobe, put all your summer clothes to the back and bring out your coats and scarves, but don’t pack ALL your summer clothes away – Aussie weather can be very temperamental. Donate any old or unwanted clothing to charity.
• Swap your bedding – it’s time to bring out the blankets, replace your cotton sheets with warm flannelette and layer with blankets and a thick doona. Wash all your summer bedding and pack it away.
• Cover hard floors – add a rug for extra warmth, it will help with heat retention and make your room look cosy.
• Cover your windows. Up to 40% of heat escapes through uncovered windows. Keeping your windows covered helps insulate your home and prevents heat loss. If you are home during the day, open your curtains or blinds to let the sun’s rays in – it’s a great way to help warm your home.
• While it might not seem like it, winter is the best time to get your carpets steamed clean. A lot of people put this off till spring or summer, but winter is the best time to have your carpets steam cleaned. You and your family spend more time inside the home during cold weather, doors shut, heaters on, imagine having to look at that tired and worn out looking carpet. Wouldn’t it be nice coming home to fresh, clean carpet that now not only smells good, it looks good too. All the dirt, dust and allergens that have built up over summer, spring and autumn are there, buried in your carpets and now you are locked inside a house with them. Now is the time to have your carpets professionally steam cleaned to remove that deep dirt and those stains leaving your carpet looking fresh – wouldn’t it be better to be stuck inside a house in winter with fresh carpets. Carpet cleaning services can include water extraction, stain removal and general steam cleaning.
Professional carpet cleaning is performed using high-pressured machinery that doesn’t just remove the surface dirt – like your home vacuum cleaner does, it also removes that deep, ground in dirt, fungus, bacteria, allergens, dust mites and pet fur. If you suffer from asthma – now is the time to get those carpets steam cleaned.
Carpets are cleaned using environmentally friendly natural products that are safe for you, your family and pets, no harsh chemicals and no residue left behind. Carpets dry quickly and can be walked on in as little as 4-6 hours. Carpets can be cleaned while you are at work to minimise any disruptions.
