Tackling the Transition From Winter to Spring: Homeowner Edition
The joy of owning a home can’t be overstated, but it’s also a role that requires certain responsibilities. Although the typical Seattle winter is fairly mild, with maybe a couple of snowy weekends and then a quick return to our familiar rainy days, we do still encounter some harsh temperatures in the region. So, in this month’s blog, we’re covering how to best get through the winter months, with helpful tips and tricks on how to properly winterize your home, as well as how to successfully set yourself, and your home, up for spring.
Winterizing Your Home
Before we let ourselves get carried away by the thought of long days in the sunshine, we need to get through these chilly winter months first. You’ve likely already done some common winterization tasks around your household, but in case you haven’t, now is the time. We’re finally getting into significantly lower temperatures in the region and preparing your home to handle the frosty days ahead is crucial.
A headache that no homeowner wants to ever deal with is a frozen or burst pipe. You can prevent this by taking simple steps like disconnecting your outdoor hoses and covering the faucet. Open the cabinet doors in front of your sinks to keep their pipes from freezing. If you’re able to, add pipe insulation to your attic or crawl space pipes. Another important area to insulate properly are doors and windows as this will protect you from winter drafts and keep your heating bill low.
Spring Cleaning and Maintenance
Once we make it through winter, we’ll still have quite a bit of work on our hands. But preparing for spring tends to feel like more of a gift than a chore as we look forward to the much-welcome thaw. This is an excellent opportunity to do some thorough spring cleaning. Check out this comprehensive check list for a guide on where you can start. Washing your windows, shampooing your carpets, and decluttering your closet can work wonders in freshening up your home.
In addition to taking care of your home’s interior, you’ll want to care for the exterior after a long winter. Cleaning out your rain gutters, hosing down or power washing doors and decks, and pruning and weeding out your garden seem like pretty big chores, but you’ll thank yourself down the line if you take the time to do them before the weather turns too warm to comfortably work in and the garden gets out of control with new growth.
Deciding on New Décor
Once we take down our holiday decorations, our homes can seem a little bare and boring without the festive décor we become so used to seeing daily. However, incorporating springtime pieces will certainly brighten your space. If your home has a neutral color palette, adding a few vibrant colored throw pillows or floral throws can do wonders in evoking the freshness of spring. Putting out bouquets of seasonal flowers or leafy plants brings the outdoors in and creates a natural, calming ambiance. Consider incorporating PANTONE’S color of the year, peach fuzz, for an on-trend, gentle warmth that adds a pop of color without overwhelming the space with busy patterns or noisy shades.