With the lazy days of summer over and winter quickly approaching, autumn has always been a season of preparation in my mind. It’s a time to settle into regular routines and get ready for the winter months ahead. From filling the freezer with garden vegetables to making minor repairs to my house, there’s no shortage of work when the leaves start to fall!
Of course, one of my top tasks for fall is making sure that my house is safe and secure and this month I’ll be sharing my top three safety tips for fall as part of the Master Lock Live Secure Safety Squad! Here’s how I make sure that my family is safe in the coming months:
Turn Up the Heat
The furnace is going to need to be fired up before long, so fall is the perfect time to do some maintenance and ensure that you’ll be toasty warm this winter. Basic furnace maintenance is something that often takes only a few minutes. Start by ensuring that the furnace filter is clean and in good repair. You may also want to clean the air ducts to ensure good air flow and quality. While this is a job that requires a professional for a thorough cleaning, you can actually do quite a good job yourself with nothing more than a vacuum cleaner, a screwdriver and a cleaning rag. And if your furnace is due for a full servicing, fall is a great time to get that done to ensure that your family will be warm and cosy in the coming months.
Where There’s Smoke…
Power and energy use shoots up once the weather turns chilly and that doesn’t just mean higher utility bills; it also means that there’s a greater fire risk. Make sure that your smoke detectors or alarm systems are in working order. To be safe, change the batteries in all battery-powered smoke and CO2 detectors. And if, like me, your detectors are wired into your alarm system, request a test to ensure that they’re still functioning as they should be. It’s a little thing but it can have life-saving benefits in the event of an emergency!
Secure the Perimeter
Autumn is a time to store summer gear before it gets buried in snow to ensure that it’s ready for next year’s warm weather. I like to take a full weekend just to prepare my yard for winter. From cutting the grass one final time to mulching the flowers and vegetable garden to pruning trees to packing away bicycles, sports equipment and the boys’ beloved trampoline, it’s definitely not a small job! But it’s well worth it to know that our yard will be ready for us to enjoy come spring. And when the summer gear is all stored in the garage, I always make sure to secure the door with my Master Lock Magnum Padlock. I love that it is especially designed for outdoor use and that it meets maximum ASTM industry strength standards with a lifetime limited warranty. I also check the other doors on the house to make sure that the weather stripping that seals out cold drafts is still in good shape and that the locks are working properly.
Making my house safe for my family each autumn is sometimes hard work, but it’s work I don’t mind at all since it means my boys and I will be safe and secure all winter long. What essential fall jobs do you do to help keep your family safe?
well I’m over 30 and I do have a fire extinguisher! I’m really surprised that more people don’t have them, after all houses can go up in flames in minutes, it might well stop a fire before it gets too bad. Just remember they need to be checked at least once a year.
No under. Everyone 30+ is over the hill and need to be put out to pasture. They won’t need something silly like a fire extinguisher.
Lol How about we just ALL have fire extinguishers!
You should also invest in a fire extinguisher; something everyone under 30 should own.
Don’t you mean everyone OVER 30, MrD?