This post is an adaptation from https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/cleaning-tips/a22652916/fall-home-maintenance-checklist/, not an entirely original blog.

Fall brings a lot of changes with it. It magically gets colder, leaves begin to fall, the holidays are suddenly right around the corner, and the air just feels fresher. These changes present several challenges to homeowners who may have spent more time at the pool than thinking about how to prepare for Fall (rightfully so)! Here are some simple ways to make sure your home is just as ready for a challenging as your stretchy pants are, come Thanksgiving time.

Clean, or possibly replace, your gutters.

Your gutters take a beating and if they’re clogged, you’re in for a world of hurt and dirty water in your home. So, clean them, and if necessary, replace them.

Check for leaky windows.

Heat loss through windows is responsible for 25-30 percent of heating energy use, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. But it can be easily fixed with some weatherstripping.

Pro tip: To check if you have a draft issue, close a door or window on a strip of paper. If the paper slides easily, you need to update your weatherstripping.

Drain your outdoor faucets.

Drain and disconnect all garden hoses from outside spigots to prevent any water freezing. Not doing this can result to pipes bursting. No bueno.

Bring your outdoor furniture in.

It costs you money and time to set that outdoor space up, so if you want to get another summer season out of it you should store it in a garage or shed. If you don’t have anywhere to store the items, you should cover it in a waterproof furniture cover.

Fix any cracks in your driveway.

When water gets into cracks it freezes, expands, and can make the crack even bigger. Enough small cracks can turn into big cracks, and eventually the concrete can crumble. So, using concrete crack sealer, fill it up and be done with it.

Change your filters.

If your filters are clogged, it’s harder to keep your home at the temperature you want it to be which will increase your heating bills. Clean these filters monthly, not just before the fall, and thank me later. FYI: Disposable filters can be vacuumed one time before you replace it, and foam filters can just be vacuumed and not replaced.

Fertilize your lawn.

If you want to keep your lawn looking great in the spring and summer, you need to prep it for the fall and winter. Roots are still active when the grass isn’t growing, so applying fertilizer will prevent winter damage. Doing this will also help your lawn turn green faster in the spring.

Test winter equipment.

Seriously, just check it all now and make your life easier later. You’ll be really happy when you discover you need a new snow blower in the summer, rather than when you’re standing in the snow, and they’re sold out.

Change your batteries.

Once a year you should be checking to make sure all smoke detectors and carbon monoxide devices are working. Fall and Winter mean it’s time to “roast those chestnuts on an open fire,” lets not roast your blinds and couch because you didn’t catch a stray log!