Galery

1

From the fireplace to the windows and furniture, our house needs special care to meet the heavy winter period.

Heating

There is nothing cosier in winter than a fireplace with a burning fire. However, conventional wood fireplaces lose most of the heat they produce after sending warm air up in the chimney. As a result, the smoke from burning wood pollutes the air.

However, if you have a fireplace that burns natural gas consider the option of buying the "logs" that are fit for it. If you use radiators working with heating oil, do not forget to release the air from them. During the procedure, the radiators must be cold. To avoid potential problems, you should call a plumber who will check the entire heating system.

Clean the fireplace

Before lighting the fireplace, clean its interior. Wood emits volatile gases that freeze and accumulate inside the chimney, creating very flammable and sticky creosote of bad odour. Also, make sure the hole is working correctly and the roof is covered properly.

Waste of heat

Sometimes, heating radiators are hot but your house is cold. Check the door and window frames to find out where the wind is coming from. If the window frames are old, they are probably distorted and let the cold air in. In this case, it would be better to replace the old window frames with new ones and with double and soundproof windows as well as to install shutters. If this is not possible, buy special bands that stick close to the frames of the windows and doors and do not let the cold into your home.

"Hidden" leaks

30 per cent of the air entering the house comes from the different "holes" where pipes and electrical cables are installed. Check the pipes under the sinks in the kitchen and the bathroom and fill the small holes with insulating foam.

Secure the pipes

To not be unpleasantly surprised by the "phenomenon" of a frozen water pipe that cracks, cover each of them with a good amount of insulating foam and ask in a hardware shop what else you can do to protect pipes from the cold.

Think about insulation

Check the attic and basement. In the event that their insulation is not in good condition, buy and install the insulation provided for this purpose.

Clean the gutters

Leaves of trees, dust and many other things have fallen into the gutters in the spring and summer. The rainy season is starting, so make sure you clean all the gutters to avoid flooding. After cleaning all the waste, use water at high pressure to clean the waste until the water starts flowing freely through the gutters. Thus, you will also find out if your gutters need repairing.

Clean the windows

This is not the most pleasant household task for sure, but it is imperative to clean the windows from the inside and outside before winter. This will help the anyway scarce winter light to enter your home.

While you clean them, you will find out if they are damaged and allow wastage of heat. If you do not like detergents, you can clean them in the following way: Add some vinegar to a bucket of water. Then, you can clean them with old newspapers that make the windows transparent and do not leave spots or lint on them.

Rearrange the furniture

Rearranging the furniture in a more "winter" composition prepares the home from an "artistic" point of view. Place the armchairs by the fireplace if you have one and try to arrange them against the window, so that you can enjoy more of the winter landscape and sunny days. Lay down carpets, replace summer curtains with winter ones and welcome the season.