It normally starts with noticing the evenings getting darker. Before long, the heating is back on, the summer things have disappeared into cupboards and you’re spending a lot more time indoors.
Getting your home ready for the colder months doesn’t need to involve a long list of jobs. A few checks and small changes now can make things more comfortable once winter properly arrives.
Give your heating a quick check
If your heating hasn’t been used much over summer, it’s worth switching it on before you really need it.
Check that radiators are warming up properly and that everything seems to be working as it should. Finding a problem on a chilly Sunday morning in December isn’t ideal.
It’s also a good time to get familiar with your heating controls. Timers and thermostats can easily be forgotten about over summer, so check the settings still suit your routine.
Deal with the jobs you’ve been putting off
We all have them. That little job you’ve walked past for the last few months suddenly becomes more annoying when it’s cold and dark outside.
Autumn is a good opportunity to get a few of those things sorted. Clear leaves away from paths, check outside lights are working and give gutters a quick look once the trees have started to shed their leaves.
If you have outdoor furniture that won’t be used again until spring, now’s probably the time to clean it and put it away too.
Make the entrance work a bit harder
Coats, wet shoes and muddy boots have a habit of taking over at this time of year.
A clear space near the door for shoes and somewhere easy to hang coats can stop everything travelling further into the house. A decent doormat helps too — not particularly exciting, but you’ll appreciate it once the wet weather arrives.
Homes with good storage really come into their own during autumn and winter. Having somewhere to hide away the everyday clutter makes it much easier to keep the rest of the house feeling calm.
Bring a bit of warmth indoors
You don’t need to completely change a room just because the season has changed.
A couple of throws on the sofa, warmer bedding or an extra lamp can be enough. With the evenings drawing in earlier, lighting often makes more difference to how a room feels than anything else.
This is also a good time to move lamps around. That corner which gets plenty of natural light during summer might suddenly feel quite dark by late afternoon.
Don’t forget about fresh air
Opening a window might be the last thing you feel like doing when it’s cold outside, but homes still need ventilation during winter.
Cooking, showers and even drying clothes indoors can all add moisture to the air. Using extractor fans and opening windows for a short while helps let that moisture escape.
If your home has trickle vents, keep those open too. They’re there to provide a small amount of background ventilation without having to leave a window wide open.
Settle in for winter
There are plenty of things we can’t control about British winter weather. Your home, thankfully, is one place you can make comfortable.
Most of getting ready is simply about sorting the little things before you need them. Then, when the really cold evenings arrive, you can forget about the jobs and enjoy being at home instead.
At Eleanor Charles Homes, we think about how our homes will work throughout the year, not just how they look on moving day. From practical storage to comfortable living spaces, it’s the everyday details that can make a house an enjoyable place to call home.