#home-winter-maintenance

#home-winter-maintenance

Sellers of older properties that rely on heating oil for central heating and hot water may attract lower-than-expected prices in the months ahead.

Research from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety consistently identifies wind-borne embers, firebrands carried well ahead of the fire front, as a dominant cause of residential structure loss in wildfires.

Visually inspect skis, bases, and edges. If any damage, get a full tune to fix the damage, grind the bases, and sharpen the edges.

Charging lithium-ion batteries can lead to overheating or ignition if damaged or overcharged. It's crucial to charge them in well-ventilated areas and avoid overnight charging.

One of the most effective ways to clean your home is to work from top to bottom. This ensures that whatever dirt or dust is lurking above falls down first, so you're not forced to redo any of the hard work you've already done below.

Many clients are blindsided by special assessments and maintenance costs on buildings. These unexpected costs, such as a broken water heater or plumbing work, tend to come at inconvenient times, often leading to unexpected financial strain.

The results? They picked out 26 cleaning solutions, calling them their favorites. From tried-and-true staples to brand-new discoveries, see below for our top picks.

The Iran war has once again shown our drive for clean power is essential for our energy security so we can escape the grip of fossil fuel markets we don't control.

One of the weird quirks of working from home and owning a lot of cars is that I might go a month or a few between driving a specific vehicle. This is especially true in the winter, when I just won't drive my favorite cars at all to keep them out of the road salt. Many of my vehicles don't have the privilege of sipping from a battery tender. Yet, when I'm ready, the cars fire up when it's time to drive.

Outdoor maintenance isn't just about keeping your space looking nice, it stops high-traffic areas from becoming a major hazard during wet and cold weather.

In the past, roof inspections mostly focused on what could be seen from the outside. Contractors looked for broken shingles, worn flashing, or areas where water might enter the roof. The problem is that roof damage does not always show clear signs right away. Water can move through roofing layers before it becomes visible inside the home.

In fact, it acts as an insulator that protects the shingles. And, even when it's deep, the snow's weight is less than what the roof is designed to bear; the average roof is built to carry loads of 65 pounds per square foot. Even flat roofs, which seem more vulnerable to snow loads than pitched ones, are pretty tough. In fact, residential flat roofing is stronger than commercial roofs.

Over decades, concrete, block, stone, and brick foundations naturally weaken as mortar joints decay, tie-rod holes rust out, and block cavities collect moisture, creating new leak paths that didn't exist when the home was built. When looking at a concrete foundation, it isn't a matter of IF it will leak, but WHEN it will leak.

When I was 10 or 12 years old, I took a train trip that stretched nearly 2,000 miles between Massachusetts and Colorado. My family and I chugged along the tracks for more than two days, so I packed what I considered to be the essentials: snacks, a deck of UNO cards, and multiple colors of nail polish. My dad, meanwhile, packed what I considered to be a bizarre and unwelcome addition to the luggage: a bunch of fitted bedsheets.

Boston's collective creativity shines brightest when heavy snow blankets the city, leaving residents scrambling for space savers to mark their territory. And needless to say, space savers were out in full force following last weekend's blizzard, from a jubilant chef statue to traffic cones, folding chairs, and even a commode. It's a cutthroat business, after all: those who steal someone else's shoveled-out parking space may run the risk of angry notes, slashed tires, or physical blows.

There are several things you'll want to keep in your car for winter emergencies, including a first aid kit, blankets, jumper cables, and even an emergency radio. But what about food? You don't want to be sitting there for hours, hungry and freezing cold, with nothing to eat. We talked to a few safety experts, including Dr. Jason Schroder, medical director and co-founder of Craft Body Scan;

So many homes now have high efficiency sealed combustion boilers and furnaces that do not vent out through the chimney at rooftop height. These units typically will have their intake and exhaust going out through the side of the house. These do need to be high enough off the ground to allow for typical snow patterns, but snow drifts due to high winds can pile pretty high, and this next storm is coming with very high winds.

Add a cheerful touch to your home with this Faux Peony Bundle from Pottery Barn. You don't need gardening skills, just set it out and enjoy. Each bundle has five blooms in bright spring colors, perfect for indoor spaces. Farmers' Market Herb Live Wreath & Garland Add a pop of color and flair to your front door a fresh look with this decorative wreath from Williams Sonoma.

In an Instagram Reel, creator @alyssalanemcnair demonstrates using a leaf blower indoors to push debris out from under furniture, along baseboards, and out of tight, hard-to-reach spaces. The concept is simple: Instead of vacuuming or sweeping, you use the airflow to move dirt, dust, and debris out from areas traditional tools struggle to reach. It sounds chaotic (and it definitely looks dramatic), but in practice, it's surprisingly strategic - especially if you're intentional about where the mess is being directed.

When it's dreary outside, I usually hunker down and do household chores - running the dishwasher, catching up on laundry, maybe even taking a long shower and shaving my legs. These days, though, I take the opposite approach: I never do chores that require water use when it's raining outside. That's because I recently learned that my city, Milwaukee, has a shared sewer system - which means rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater collect in the same pipes.

Sometimes I'm rather impressed by the ingenuity of those in the business of making scammy gadgets. Over the years, I've examined a wide range of products, from scam devices that claim to save you money on your power bill to a high-power USB charger filled with an unusual goo-like substance. Also: Want to cut your electric bill? Skip these scam 'power-saving' devices - and buy this instead

Common Wealth cited the example of the Warmer Homes consortium, led by Portsmouth city council, which was allocated 22m among 31 authorities over three years. This breaks down to about 450-650 homes per year, or 15-20 homes per local authority per year.

You should buy a dehumidifier. It will almost certainly improve your home environment. Pulling moisture from the air helps banish condensation and mold, making it cheaper and easier to regulate the temperature in your house or apartment. There's a reason the chatter about dehumidifiers has grown so loud and sales are soaring; it's because they work. Whether you've seen a persuasive Reddit thread, a life hack on TikTok, or an expert guide to the best dehumidifiers, the hype is real.