Seasonal home maintenance guide

Fall home maintenance

HomeMaintaining a homeHouse
Published on September 28, 2020
5 mins reading time
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In fall, a woman pushes a wheelbarrow as she carries out seasonal maintenance work in her yard.

Indoor fall home maintenance

See what you need to do inside your home before hunkering down for winter.

  • Clean your rugs, carpets, and furniture or have them cleaned. They’ve probably picked up their share of dust and pollen if you kept your doors and windows open all summer.

  • Protect your wood furniture by applying a natural oil or beeswax.

  • When you set the clocks back to standard time in the fall, check that your carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors are working properly (detectors should be replaced every 10 years). Replace the batteries as needed.

Heating and air conditioning

  • Hot water heater: Lubricate the pump and bleed your radiators.

  • Central heating systems: You can have a licensed contractor clean and check your system. Or you can remove and clean air vent and return register covers yourself and vacuum inside the ducts. Replace the filter as needed.

  • Air exchanger or heat recovery fan (HRF): Follow the maintenance instructions in the owner’s manual.

  • Portable humidifiers: Rinse or change the filter and thoroughly clean the tank with vinegar and disinfect it with a 5% bleach solution (5ml bleach in 4L water).

Doors and windows: Preventing drafts

  • Prevent condensation by removing the screens to allow warm air to reach the window panes.

  • If you have double windows, now’s the time to put them on.

  • Make sure your doors and windows are tight. Light a match and place it near door and window frames. If the flame flickers, it means there’s a draft. Repair caulking and replace weatherstripping as needed.

  • Wash curtains and blinds and remove a layer if possible to let warm air through.

  • Check that the garage door closes tightly.

Checking your well, sump, and catch basin

Experts recommend having your well water checked for bacteria every six months (ideally in spring and fall). Check that your sump pump is working properly. Clean the garage floor drain.

Good to know

Fall is a good time to do needed maintenance on your dishwasher. Remove and clean the wash arm and bottom filter (strainer), and make sure your rubber seals (tower and bottom door) are still tight. Change them as needed.

Outdoor fall home maintenance

Fall is the prelude to winter. Protect your plants and make sure everything is waterproof.

Roof and gutters

  • Clean and inspect your roof covering, metal flashings, skylights, seals, etc.

  • Check the condition of your chimney (masonry, fasteners, and cap) and make sure nothing is blocking it. Have it cleaned if you didn’t do so in the spring.

  • Remove leaves, branches, and other debris from your gutters and make sure the gutters are securely attached. Pour water into the downspout to make sure it flows properly.

What to inspect around your home in the fall

  • Clean your window wells of any debris that might affect drainage.

  • Remove lint and dust from the flapper valves in your dryer, range hood, bathroom fan, air exchanger, etc.

  • Inspect your foundation. Seal cracks in the concrete to prevent water infiltration. Correct the grading around the house to prevent water pooling.

  • Is your exterior cladding ready for winter?

  • Repair the caulking around windows and doors as needed.

  • Repair visible cracks and potholes in your asphalt driveway to prevent them from expanding over the winter.

Getting your plants ready for winter

  • Cover your perennial beds with raked leaves. If you only have a few leaves left on the ground, mulch them with your lawnmower to naturally fertilize your lawn. Or compost them at home or at your community centre.

  • In late October, mow your lawn one last time to a height of 5cm. Then clean your lawnmower, have the blade sharpened as needed, and add fuel stabilizer to the gas. That way it will be ready to go come spring!

  • Wait for the ground to freeze before protecting your plants, shrubs, and trees.

Storing equipment in the back yard

If you have a heat pump, check that it’s secure, that nothing is blocking the air intake, and the cover protecting it from snow is solid and in place. If your heat pump is more than five years old and you didn’t get it checked in the spring or summer, it’s not too late.

Disconnect, drain, and store garden hoses. Drain the hoses and taps as needed.

Empty your automatic sprinkler system and purge it with compressed air.

Thoroughly clean your BBQ. Turn it on for 15 minutes, one side at a time. Stay nearby to make sure everything is working properly. Cover it or store it in the garage or shed. Store the gas cylinder outdoors in an upright position away from heat sources and where it will be protected from bumps and bad weather.

Protect or put away your garden furniture.

Remove any products (paint, fertilizer, pesticides, cleaning products, etc.) that are likely to be affected by the cold.

Getting your pool, fountain, and pond ready for winter

It’s important to winterize your pool in the fall both to protect it and to make it easier to start up again in the spring: make sure you lower the water level, detach and empty the hoses, and bleed the motor. If you have a fountain or pond, clean the pumps and hoses before storing them where they’ll be protected from frost.

Handy checklist to download or print

Do you like lists? Download or print our fall maintenance checklist. That way, you can check off each item as you go along.

Seasonal checklist – Fall