It will be after you read Arianne Cohen’s helpful tips!

It’s fall again, which means that it’s time to do your fall cleaning and maintenance before your windows freeze shut and you’re too chilled to get out from under your quilts. Here are two quick to-do lists.

Inside Stuff:

1. Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, as well as your fire extinguisher. This takes ten seconds people.
2. Schedule your annual heating system maintenance visit. They’ll charge you about $100 to clean out your system so that it’s more efficient, which will pay for itself in heating bills. While you’re at it, bleed your radiators. If you don’t hire a professional, remember to change your furnace filter.
3. Check your washer and dryer hoses. If they’re the slightest bit old or worn, replace! You’ve just averted a future flood.
4. Take a plunger and plunge over all your drains for two minutes. You probably had no idea how backed up they were. If that doesn’t help, you need to take off the U-trap pipe below your sink, and dump out all the clogged hair and soap into a bucket. Reattach. Whatever you do, no Draino allowed!

Click through to the next page to see the to-do list for outside stuff.

Outside Stuff:
5. Go outside. Trim back your shrubs from your house. It’s much more fun to do this now than in the snow.
6. Change outdoor lightbulbs. Otherwise, you’ll be doing it on ice.
7. Storm windows! Put them in.
8. Walk around the exterior of your home and look for any water damage or places that water could leak in. Examples include soggy wood, holes, or damaged siding. Get it fixed before Halloween.

Now you can sit back and enjoy your digs ’til springtime. — Arianne C.

For more helpful tips from Arianne, visit her website, ariannecohen.com or pick up a copy of her book, Help! It’s Broken: A Fix-It Bible For the Repair-Impaired from Amazon.