The weather is unique in each region, but preparing your home for colder months and getting ready for the worst can be beneficial, even if it’s not required! Here are ten tips to keep yourself safe and reduce your expenses and remain warm in the coming winter. I’m going to begin on the outside of my home and gradually move into it.
1. Cleaning/Fixing Rain gutters
This is something I didn’t do last year and was a disaster for me, resulting in a bite to the back. The leaves block the water from moving quickly and causing ice dams. These can damage your rain gutters or let water in your home! Get rid of the leaves and ensure that the channels are in good alignment and aren’t leaky. This could be a real risk when you have children in the house and the media aren’t correctly maintained.
2. Window and storm doors
These are considered to be luxury items; items, however, are worth it when they are affordable. Offering an extra layer of protection during the winter months against the cold and wind can create an enormous difference in the heart of your home, which can translate into savings in the future! They can also be lifesavers in extreme conditions when things are falling and blowing around. Storm doors have saved windows many times in Japan when typhoons come in and blow branches as well as objects that are loose against the home.
3. Check/Fix Roof
This seems like a no-brainer. However, you should look for holes or cracks in your roof that could allow leakage into your attic insulation or the ceiling. The most important thing to avoid is to solve a leak using the snow covering your roof!
4. Support/Trim Trees as well as Shrubs
In my region of Japan, the Japanese don’t treat this issue lightly, as they are devoted to their gardens and maintained trees and shrubs. Snow can become heavy and cause harm to all plants, so wooden supports are utilized in addition to trimming and mulching in order to ensure that the plants survive another year. Trimming can also be advantageous if you have a lot of trees in the vicinity of your house to ensure large branches don’t fall on your home due to the weight of snow.
5. Check/Fix Cracked Cement
It’s almost like they maintain the roads in my neighborhood, yet the streets are not in good condition. Ice is bad for cement. It gets inside cracks and expands to make the gap grow larger. Therefore, there aren’t any cracks in your home’s entryway or around it to fix before they become too big for repair. A little protection can go a long way! Two years of cracks that weren’t fixed! It’s right there at the back of the door!!
6. The empty AC units and pipes that are insulated
There shouldn’t be any water to remain within your AC units when winter arrives. It could result in an enormous repair bill when it comes to summer. Therefore, clean the unit together with all pipes and the hoses you connect to. Insulating pipes and other pipes that are in your home prevents them from freezing which is a major nightmare in winter. It also keeps them warm, making it quicker and easier for hot water to flow inside. Insulation is relatively inexpensive and will save you quite a bit of money on the cost of energy.
7. Air cover leaks(#1 crucial, I believe)
If it’s windowsills or door cracks, ceiling vents, or any other leaks inside or outside of your home that block heat from escape will go a LONG way to saving the cost of heating and also keeping you warm. Weather stripping windows and doors for small cracks is easy and affordable to complete. You can also cover the entire window using plastic if the window is beyond repair with weather stripping. Any material is an excellent idea to seal warm air out. You just need to think of a solution. Because we don’t have many dollars, we make use of old clothes and blankets to protect our homes from the sun’s heat. Sliding doors. It’s an inexpensive and easy fix. You can also use door sills or create your own. I’ve seen bubble wrap used in windows, along with heavy curtains made of blankets too. When you aren’t able to spend much money, creativity is essential!
8. Carpets and Slippers
In Japan, the majority of the flooring used in homes is made of a combination of tatami mats, wood, or Linoleum. Carpet is seldom used, which creates an icy floor. Your feet can get freezing quickly. Slippers and rugs provide two critical layers of insulation to your body, particularly your feet.
9. Food and Clothing
DUH!! The easiest way to keep comfortable is to wear extra clothing. Getting warm socks and having an extra sweater in the house is a sure way to stay warm. Also, hot drinks stews, soups, and soups are perfect for bitter winter months. Traditional stews are a popular food in Japan known as Nabe, which is well-known and is cooked frequently in the wintertime to warm our frigid bodies. In addition, keeping your stove on by baking sweets or bread is a fun and productive way to keep the home and your stomach warm. Drinking can be fun too!
10. Emergency Supplies
A three-day supply of water, food as well as fuel is recommended to be prepared in the event that you get snowed in. The last time we were buried in snow for a whole day, and the weather was kind to us, and we were able to get everything we required. This year, I’ll prepare a week’s supply from snow dumps that fall into meters. Also, I wanted to share some particular aspects of Japanese winter briefly. Japanese winter. Central heating is not used, and gas stoves or kerosene are utilized instead. Therefore, it is advisable to get an emergency supply of gas in the event that you are able to or have enough to last for several weeks. Also, Japan is home to an insulated coffee table known as Kotatsu that everyone sits around at night during winter. They are adorable and can make you very uneasy as you are unable to leave! These two items are the primary source of heat for Japanese households, as well as heated carpets everywhere. It’s not easy to keep the whole home warm, as it requires a massive quantity of gas and many stoves in order to accomplish this. A majority of people are confined to one or two rooms to heat the rooms and then stay below the kotatsu. In conclusion, my main message is that making a few preparations prior to the event will go a long way in keeping you warm and safe and hopefully cutting down on some of the expenses you’ll be paying for making sure you are comfortable this winter. I wish you a relaxing winter, and spring is near!!