As a homeowner, you should begin to consider what you’ll do to protect your home as the weather gets colder. It doesn’t take a whole lot of time and effort to make sure your home is ready for the seasonal change, so here are some tips to help you get prepared.

1. Change all the filters and the dryer lint trap.

Now that you’re running the air conditioner less and less, it would be a great time to service and make sure your unit is operating smoothly and efficiently. In fact, hiring a professional HVAC technician to come by and check the actual unit isn’t a bad idea. The easiest thing you can do as a homeowner though, is change the filters. It helps keep the air clean and circulating easier and you’re going to want everything to be neat and clean as you transition to using the heater. Whenever I think of changing the filters, I think of the lint trap in the dryer. You should be cleaning that out regularly already but if you’re not, now is the time to make sure you do that. You should also look into having a professional come out and clean out all the ducts from your dryer. Lint and dust collects in the ducts running between your dryer and the vent on the exterior of the home. That is an overlooked maintenance item for almost everyone.

2. Clean out your gutters.

Fall is the time for trees to lose their leaves. Leaves and tree debris can cause a lot of damage when left unattended to. Not only can they damage your roof, but they can clog your gutters. Clogged gutters and blocked water flow from rain or snow can lead to major issues. Not only could your gutters break or collapse if they’re too full, but puddles around the house could cause damage to your yard or even the house’s foundation. Hop on a ladder and make sure your gutters are working well and the water will flow through and away from the home when there is heavy rain.

3. Aerate, fertilize, and seed your lawn.

The best time to make your lawn look great in the spring and summer is to do the work in the fall. Aerating, fertilizing and seeding your lawn in the fall gets the grass ready to grow and green in the spring. It’s not nearly as complicated as one would think. If you’ve never done this before, you can Google the methods and strategies that work best for your area and type of grass your yard has. You can usually rent the equipment from Lowe’s or Home Depot and probably knock it out on a Saturday morning.

4. Clean out your fireplace.

It won’t be long before you’re ready to use the fireplace. Whether you have a gas or wood burning fireplace, fall is the perfect time to make sure that the chimney and fireplace area are clean. Ashes, dust, bird’s nests and other debris could have easily collected since the last time you used the fireplace so you’ll want to make sure everything is clean and safe to use before you fire it up again.