The first day of winter isn’t until December 21, but the temperatures in the Kansas City area could easily convince you otherwise. As Kansas City’s go-to window and siding company, we’re committed to helping you keep your home in pristine condition throughout the year. In today’s post, we’ll provide you with four essential home maintenance tasks you should be performing this winter. When you’ve finished reading this post, get in touch with Blue Springs Siding and Windows to learn more about window installations, gutter guards, and the other fantastic home improvement services we offer!
Important Winter Maintenance Tasks
Inspect Your Smoke Detectors 
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) reports that faulty heating causes 27 percent of fires during the winter, making it incredibly important to ensure that your smoke detectors are working properly. You should make sure that you have smoke detectors in every room of your home, and ideally, in every hallway as well. Check the batteries in each unit at least once every month, and purchase spare batteries so that you always have some on hand. Talk through an escape plan with your family, and check the functionality all of the windows in your home. If any of them would be difficult to open in an emergency, then you may want to invest in window installations throughout your home.
Clean Your Gutters
While we hope that you cleaned out the majority of the debris in your gutters in the first few days of fall, it’s not too late to clean them before your home is blanketed with snow. In fact, clean gutters should be one of your top priorities before the first big snow storm of the season. Clogged gutters will end up freezing and weighing down your roof, potentially causing your gutters to snap off entirely. If you’re looking for a way to ensure that leaves and debris fall to the ground instead of clogging up your gutters, then consider coming to the Blue Springs Siding and Windows showroom to learn more about gutter guards!
Inspect Your Outdoor Lighting
The days are getting darker earlier and earlier each day. Even though you probably won’t be spending much time outside now that’s cold in the evenings, it’s highly important that your outdoor lighting is working properly. You’ll probably have carolers coming by and neighbors dropping off sweet treats in the next few weeks, so make sure that everyone stays safe on your property by checking your lighting twice.
Stock up on Salt
While Kansas City sees less snowfall than many other areas in the United States, it’s important to be prepared whenever the flakes begin to fall. Stock up on salt, sand, and snowmelt to ensure that your sidewalk and driveway are safe for anyone who happens to walk by or come up to the door. As an added bonus, the area around your home will be much easier to shovel when you aren’t slipping and sliding! Many homeowners are understandably concerned about the environmental effects of salt and snowmelt products, but we’re happy to report that eco-friendly products are available.
Stay tuned for part two of this series, and get in touch with a member of Blue Springs Siding and Windows to learn more about door installations, replacement windows, gutter guards, and the other fantastic home improvement products we offer!
