Winter has come in with force this year. We want to help you be as prepared as possible for the next big snow storms, arctic blasts, and icy situations. We’ve put together the ultimate winter preparedness list so you don’t find yourself facing an emergency.
Warming Up
Did you lose heat? Is your heat not working as it should? Be ready for cold temps and the possibility of waiting for a service provider to restore heat to your home!
- Do not turn on your stove for heat!
- Keep several thick blankets in a box for winter for extra warmth
- Heat your home with your fireplace — be sure that it has been inspected this year and you have plenty of dry firewood or a gas log fireplace
- Use portable space heaters — do not leave them on without supervision
- Use space heaters with auto-shut-off options
- Do not place a space heater near/on furniture or near water
- Electric heat should always be at least four feet from furniture or curtains
- Hand warmers
Winter Safety Must-Haves
- Fire extinguisher
- Smoke alarm (check batteries today!)
- Carbon monoxide detector (check batteries today!)
Generator Safety
Read our post about generators.
- Place generators at least 20 feet from windows, doors or vents and in a space where rain and snow will not get to them
- Never use a generator indoors — including in your garage or near any air intakes for your home — it is a carbon monoxide risk
- Never use a wet generator
- Never store gasoline indoors
- Use battery-powered flashlights
- Never use grills of any kind indoors — it is deadly
- Avoid using candles at all costs — unless a real emergency — if you need to use candles, make sure they are supervised and you do not fall asleep with them lit
Emergency Kit
- Have a week’s worth of food and safety supplies
- Bottled/jug drinking water
- Extra shovels and ice-scrapers
- Supply of pet supplies and food
- Canned/no-cook food that does not have to be kept cold
- Non-electric can opener
- Baby food and formula
- Prescription drugs and other medicine
- First-aid kit
- Ice Melt
- Cat litter or bag of sand to add traction on walkways
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Battery-powered lamps or lanterns
- Fill the bathtub with water
- In an emergency, if no other water is available, snow can be melted for water — bring water to a rolling boil for one minute will kill most germs but won’t get rid of chemicals sometimes found in the snow
Tree Safety and Maintenance
- Don’t shake limbs to remove snow
- Do not try and clear icy trees and limbs
- Never climb trees to attempt to remove ice & snow
- Contact an arborist on Zaarly if you are worried about any trees or limbs on your property — they can assess the situation and take care of it properly
Preventative Winter Maintenance
- Leave faucets on with a slow drip of water running continually to prevent pipes from freezing
- Keep the indoor temperature warm (it’s best not to go below 68 degrees)
- If it’s freezing out — allow heated air near pipes — open kitchen cabinet doors under the kitchen sink
- Use pipe warmers/insulators on pipes that are prone to freezing
- If you are facing frozen pipes — contact a plumber ASAP — never use electric or fire to thaw pipes — if your pipes do freeze, do not thaw them with a torch — thaw pipes using a hair dryer (supervised)
- Be sure that trees are trimmed — especially the ones above your roof
- Make sure handrails and stairs are secure
- Check outdoor lights are working properly
- Have your chimney swept and inspected
- Change your furnace filter
- Have your heating system serviced
- Caulk around windows and doors
- Replace screen doors with storm doors
- Insulate your attic
- Have your gutters cleaned out and make sure your downspouts are pointed the right way
- Consider a smart thermostat to keep the temperature inside your home steady and consistent
- Add plastic safety outlet covers in open plugs to keep cold air away
- Make sure your ceiling fans are rotating clockwise to push warm air down
- If you have drafty windows — cover the interior of the window with thick sheets of transparent shrink-tight film (reach out to a window expert to inquire about new windows — they are more affordable than you think!)
- Invest in thermal curtains that block out the cold
