Budget-Friendly Ways to Prepare Your Home for Winter
31 October 2019
The harsh winter weather can cause major problems for your home and everyone living there. From blocked gutters, frozen pipes and boiler problems to damp and even car trouble, it’s important to be prepared for a variety of cold-related impediments to your comfort.
So what’s the best approach to weatherproofing a home for winter cheaply? In this article, the DIY experts here at B&M HQ have put together a guide covering the main issues you’ll need to address - from how to keep your house warm in winter to protect your vehicle from bad weather.
Checking Your Gutters
The first step in preparing your home for winter is to regularly check and clear your gutters. This isn’t a particularly fun job, but it’s very important, as fallen leaves and other debris carried by wind and rain can cause serious blockages at this time of year.
Gutter blockages can, in turn, result in leaking walls and roofing. Because of this, regularly making sure your guttering is in the best possible condition will save you a lot of time and stress in the long run.
One of the ways in which you can make this job easier is by investing in a specialist gutter brush that can be used to clear leaves and debris. This will help you make sure your gutters never overflow.
Lagging Your Pipes
Protecting your pipes - particularly any positioned outside - is vital to prevent the water inside from freezing and the pipes themselves from bursting. Failing to do this may result in serious leaks and expensive repairs.
“Lagging” your pipes is very easy. All it involves is fitting affordable foam cylinders around each one to insulate it from the cold. It’s a simple and highly effective means of preparing your home for winter.
Before you do this, be sure to clean around the pipes, remove vegetation and clear out blockages using a pipe unblocker. If you don’t, unwanted material in or around your pipes may otherwise scratch or freeze and swell, causing further damage.
Get Your Boiler Checked
Winter boiler problems are some of the most common - and most frustrating - weather-related challenges faced by homeowners. After all, it’s the time of year during which your heating system is relied upon most!
The best way to avoid your boiler getting broken in winter is to get it professionally checked and ensure everything is working as it should before the cold weather sets in.
Insulating Your Home
Bills can go up significantly in winter and, as a result, you may be wondering how to keep your house warm without the heating being on all the time.
One of the best approaches is to try and retain any existing heat by thoroughly insulating your property. To save you time working out how to insulate your home for winter, we’ve listed our most effective and affordable products for preventing or fixing thermal leaks below:
You can also purchase heavier, thicker curtains for the colder months. This option is often overlooked by those wondering how to keep a house warm in winter, as many homeowners assume that high quality lined curtains are expensive.
However, at B&M you can find some excellent new curtains with thick lining - perfect for keeping out draughts - for very low prices indeed.
Checking for Damp
You may not have struggled with damp at all throughout the rest of the year, but the cold winter weather makes this household problem much more likely.
Damp can be caused by condensation or leaks - both of which become more common when the temperature drops.
Luckily, there are products available that can help you quickly combat damp patches that appear on your walls and ceiling. However, if the problem persists, you should consider seeking professional assistance as it may mean your home has developed a structural issue.
We highly recommend Polycell Damp Seal Aerosol to totally seal off patches of damp and prevent them from spreading.
Preparing Your Car
Not only should you be considering how to keep your house warm in winter and protected from inclement weather, but you need to take your car into account too.
Driving in winter without first ensuring that you have undertaken full preparations can be dangerous, as icy or misted windows can seriously reduce visibility.
Defrosting your vehicle in the mornings is far easier with the aid of an ice scraper - plus you can purchase demister pads to quickly treat the inside of your windows.
Wet weather and grit, salt and sand attached to clothing and shoes can also mean that your car’s interior gets dirty more easily in winter. Why not keep your car seats clean using nylon seat protectors?
In conclusion: to prevent leaks, clear your gutters. To stop pipes freezing or bursting, clean and lag them. To protect your boiler, get it checked early. Wondering how to keep your house warm without the heating on constantly? Invest in insulation and thicker curtains.
Protect against damp, prepare your car and you’re ready to take on winter.
At B&M we stock a wide range of products designed to protect your home throughout the colder months.
B&M Top Tip: Find out how to take care of your vehicle in winter by exploring our superb winter car care range.
Do you have any great winter home or car care tips that don’t break the bank? Share them with the B&M Community via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram!
