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In the summer, it’s so easy to get outside. The warm weather and plenty of sunshine makes spending time outdoors really inviting. But as the cold draws in, and everyone heads inside again, you will inevitably start to notice things around the house that need sorting out.
Here are 5 problems to watch out for around the house this winter.
Damp
With the constant cold and rain in winter, it’s not surprising that damp becomes a lot more common at this time of year. Not only does it look pretty ugly around the windows and in corners of the room, but it can also have a bad impact on your health.
Damp and mold can trigger things like asthma and allergies and has an impact on your immune system. So it’s important to get on top of any damp problems as soon as you notice them.
Keeping windows open for a little while each day is a great way of keeping off damp. But once it’s there, mold and mildew sprays are usually pretty effective. Just make sure the room is ventilated when you’re using them and be careful because some stronger sprays can damage paint and wallpaper.
Damp often creeps up around windows and air vents, so double glazing can help prevent condensation. Cleaning services like DUCTZ can help clear vents and stop damp cropping up that way.
Faulty Radiators
It’s an absolute nightmare whenever something goes wrong with the central heating this time of year. But a little good news here is that it might not be the whole system that’s got a problem, just one or two radiators.
Radiators can get air trapped inside them, which stops the flow of water and means they take longer to heat up the room. This can drive up your central heating bill, so it’s important to keep a close eye on them.
Luckily, it’s quite easy to solve. All you need to do is bleed the radiator. You need to get a radiator key, but you can find them from most DIY stores, and they aren’t costly. Then you let the air out the top, and it should work fine again.
A Leaky Roof
This is not great whenever it crops up, but especially not in winter when there’s a lot more rain and maybe even a bit of snow. The most likely reason for a leaky roof is that there are missing or loose tiles. If you end up with a lot of leaks, it might mean you need to get someone to come round and retile the roof.
Gutters can also cause leaks this time of year, particularly if you get a lot of leaf fall. Leaves and moss can block up gutters, so when the rain comes, it overflows and causes leaks. This means it’s time to get a pair of gloves on and pull out any moss or leaf fall that might block your gutters. Or, if you don’t want to, you can always get someone round to do it.
Drafts
A cold draft can be really aggravating, even more so if you can’t work out where it’s coming from. You will usually find that old windows will have at least one or two leaks in them, most often where the glass meets the sill. While the best solution is to get a new window fitted, this can cost quite a lot, and there are cheaper steps you can take.
The easiest thing to do is to use a “draft snake”. Just lie it along where the draft is, and it should keep the cold air out. If you’re feeling like trying your hand at it, you can make them quite easily from an old sock and some dried rice.
Frozen Pipes
This is one of those central heating nightmares, and it will get worse if it’s not dealt with quickly. If you don’t, the pipe will burst. Not only could you end up with leaks and damp, but your water bill will go up.
One way to prevent pipes getting too cold is to make sure you keep a timer on the central heating so that it goes on for a couple of hours every morning and evening, even if you are away. Another thing to watch out for is not disconnecting the garden hose if you were gardening this summer. A backlog of ice in the house could easily burst house pipes.
Who else is prepping their home for the winter? What do you do to keep your home nice and toasty?
Photo by Chastity Cortijo on Unsplash
