Five ways to prepare your home for autumn

Whether you’re trying to hold onto the last beach days or excited for some cooler weather, Autumn is on the way. That means it’s time to starting thinking about preparing your home for the cooler months!

Seal ‘em in
With cold gusty winds and rain likely on the way, it’s a good idea to check windows and doors for any leaks, cracks and gaps. Small drafts (which often can be easily fixed) could account for an increase of up to 10 percent in your heating bill (and no one wants a high heating bill!).

Oil your deck
Preparing your deck is something you usually think about for entertaining during the warmer months. However, the summer sunshine can take a toll. To spruce it up after heat damage and to protect from the rain, sand the decking down, repair any damage and then reseal the area.

Fertilise your lawn
Fertilising your lawn in Autumn is the perfect preparation to prevent winter damage. Just because the grass isn’t growing anymore doesn’t mean that the roots aren’t still active. Fertilising in Autumn will also mean when Spring does arrive, your lawn will turn green faster!

Change your batteries
You should change the batteries in your smoke detectors every year. With heaters and electric blankets increasing fire risks in and around the home, take the opportunity to switch out your old batteries for some new ones.

Check your garage door
Your garage should be equipped with a safety reversal system to ensure it will automatically reverse if it ever comes into contact with an obstruction. This should be checked regularly to ensure your family, pets and belongings are safe.

To safely test your reversal system, place an object 40mm above the base of the garage door’s path and set it to close. If the door doesn’t reverse in less than a second (0.75 second) when it touches the object, call your local dealer to assess it.