I am proud to be a 3M-sponsored blogger, and as part of my responsibilities, I get the opportunity to evaluate 3M products. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.

Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

 A change in season often reminds us to take care of seasonal home maintenance tasks.  Here are 5 fall tasks to do this week:

1- Weather stripping windows and doors.   This has to be done to keep the cold air out and the warm air in.  It is easy to do.  My husband just buys them and installs them in under 5 minutes (peel & stick).   Replace torn ones, too.

2- Replacing your Filtrete Healthy Living Ultra Allergen Reduction Filter (MPR 1500).  You should do this every three months anyways, but the change of season is a good reminder!   The Filtrete Healthy Living Ultra Allergen Reduction Filter captures 90% of large airborne particles from the air passing through the filter.  This is just one of the ways you can help create a healthier home by capturing large airborne particles like dust, pollen and mold spores from the air passing through the filter. It also attracts and captures microscopic particles that can carry bacteria and viruses.

3- Checking gutters and pipes.  I say this one because I wish that we would have done it.  Now our gutter on the side of the house needs to be fixed and we will have to spend a good amount to fix it.  I wish we would have checked it sooner to see that it was starting to come loose.  Ours hasn’t fallen yet, but we need to fix it before it does- a heavy rain storm has pulled a small part away from the house!

4- Switch your fan’s direction.  Because hot air rises, if you run your ceiling fan in a clockwise direction once you turn the heat on.  This will produce an updraft and push down into the room heated air from the ceiling.

5- Drain your water heater.   We just learned this tip, but it will save us around $90.   You just turn off the power at your breaker box or if yours is a gas heater, turn the thermostat to the “pilot” setting.  Turn off your water supply & then take a hose and attach it to the bottom where you would drain the water.  Inside your house, open up one of the hot-water faucets in one of your sinks or tubs, to  prevent a vacuum from forming in the lines. Now open the drain valve on the water heater to drain the hot water out of the tank. Run the water out of the house (onto the driveway) and then start draining it.   You can turn the water back on at the end to empty out any residue and sediment.   That’s about it.  Now your heater doesn’t have to heat all of that water that was just sitting there.   Do this every fall.  (or even every 6 months).

Why not use this season to get organized?   Start with the refrigerator!