Home Tip Tuesday...Practical Tips to Get Your Home Ready for Fall
Practical Tips to Get Your Home Ready for Fall. You Might Be Ready For Fall, But Is Your House Prepared? Utilize These Tips To Get Your Home Ready For Fall, Both Inside And Out.
In the Valley of the Sun we are welcoming fall with full arms this season as our triple temps here in Phoenix have been record-breaking. With the kids back in school now for over a month, it is time to tackle fall cleaning and maintenance and start pulling out the fall décor. If you’re wondering how to get your home ready for fall, whether it be maintenance or decorating…we’ve got you covered with some great ideas.
HOW TO GET YOUR HOME READY FOR FALL
Getting your home fall ready is more than lighting pumpkin spice candles and busting out your autumn decor. As much as we have fun replacing summer decor with gold, orange and tan tones, there are some crucial tips to get the inside of your home fall ready! Fall is a great time to…
· Replace batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Did you know three of every five home fire deaths resulted
from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms? Nearly half could have been prevented with
checking on the batteries.
· Reserve the direction of your overhead fans. In the winter, the fan should spin the opposite direction: clockwise. This spin
direction makes the blades create an updraft, sucking cold air up and forcing the room’s warmest air downward toward the
room occupants.
· Look for cracks in the caulking sealing windows and doors, and fix the caulking in the spots that need it or redo the whole
seal. Also check caulking around vents and check weatherstripping around windows and doors. This will help ensure that
colds weather stays where it belongs…outside your home. This not only will keep you warmer, but it also boosts energy
efficiency and helps keep energy bills down.
· Clean and check your fireplace and all heating systems. Wood burning fireplaces build up creosote that you want to clean
so it doesn’t lead to a chimney fire. It is also a good time to have your heating system checked, and your vents and airducts
cleaned. Lastly, don’t forget to change out your air filters.
HOW TO GET YOUR EXTERIOR READY FOR FALL
Here in Arizona, we love fall! It finally cools down and we get to enjoy the outdoors. Although we don’t have to winterize our homes as much as the colder states, there are still some exterior prep to get your home ready for fall. We don’t dip below 30 often but we do have the occasional freeze so keep extra sheets around to throw over shrubs and bushes in your yard. In addition, it is time to overseed your lawn and get the lawn mower blade sharpened. The best time to over-seed in Arizona is during the first two weeks of October, or when evening temperatures consistently start to stay below 65 degrees. Fall is also a good time to pull out the pressure washer and clean your drive, walkways, and hardscaping around your pool and/or spa.
Once maintenance issues have been addressed, the fun of decorating can begin. The beauty and coziness of fall are reasons enough to celebrate all over the house - including your front porch. As autumn marches towards winter, you can even adapt these ideas to accommodate Halloween and Thanksgiving!
· Step one for any fall front porch is to focus on color. The warm tones of brown, gold, red, yellow, orange and even purple
are ideal for capturing the spirit of the autumnal season. Faux leaf garlands offer a simple way of injecting fall colors that
will stay fresh and vibrant. To build up texture, layer multiple leaf garlands in contrasting shapes and colors and wrap them
around your doorway. You could also swag them across an awning or porch overhang to create dimension.
· Wreaths with faux fall foliage can also add a pop of color to your door. Chrysanthemums, sunflowers and poppies are great
choices. Succulents can also be an unexpected way to add subdued green into a fiery fall color palette.
· If your front porch has some depth that you'd like to use to your advantage, bring in some textural elements that capture
the essence of fall. Hay bales, wheat sheaves, dried corn stalks and other natural elements introduce a balanced blend of
color, texture and create a festive harvest aesthetic. Mix and match these harvest-time accessories to create a variety of
heights and depths around your front door.
o Arrange some pumpkins and gourds around your hay bales or wheat sheaves for an extra pop of color.
When Halloween season rolls around, carve or paint these pumpkins and replace them with fresh gourds when
the calendar rolls over into November. Your porch will be Thanksgiving ready in seconds!
o String lights aren't just for winter! Lighted decor can look just right for fall. Make string lights or lanterns look
stunning on a fall porch by focusing on orange or amber glass elements that radiate a warm glow by day or night.
You can also find string lights decorated with spherical elements made from twigs or dried vines echoing the bare
branches outside. Make the season cheerier with a fall porch that radiates a welcoming warm glow.
We hope you find these amazing tips helpful in getting your home prepared for a wonderful season of football, bonfires, kids soccer games, apple cider, falling leaves, everything pumpkin spice and good times with friends and family.
