Winter is coming which means knowing how to winterize your home has never been more important. These 21 tips and tricks will show you exactly what to do before extreme winter weather with cold, snow and ice really set in.
It was 38 degrees at my house last night. Thirty-eight degrees.
The past few winters have showed us that Mother Nature can bear down on us during the winter months just as easily as she can during the summer ones and this one is looking like it will be a bad one for most of the country.
If you haven’t taken the time to winterize your home yet, it’s something you should really consider doing.
How to Winterize Your Home Before Winter
The thing about winter is that winter is cold.
Duh.
Sometimes I amaze myself with the insights that come out of my head. Really, I do.
Anyhow, winter is cold and what does cold weather do to your bills? It raises them. Natural gas, electric and even water bills can all skyrocket during the colder months of the year for one reason or another and for winter 2026, those costs are likely to be much, much higher. Winterizing your home can help with that.
When Should I Start Winterizing My House?
Well, you don’t want to wait until there is already zero degree temps and snow on the ground .
Ideally, you should start winterizing your home as soon as possible. While the things you are doing are geared toward keeping your home warmer, help you save money on your electric bill in the winter and reducing energy loss, they will also help to keep your home cooler and your bills lower in the summer time.
In other words, there really is no wrong time to winterize your home.
Why Should I Winterize My Home?
I have already touched on this a little bit earlier in this post, but I wanted to take the time to break it down even further for you.
There are quite a few reasons to winterize your home, but I really only want to touch on two; savings and your home.
Part of winterizing is reducing air leaks so that your furnace – or a/c in the summer – works smarter not harder. The simple fact is this; air leaks are money leaks and they are causing your utility bills to be far higher than they need be.
Bills that are higher than they need to be means less money in your savings account ya’ll.
Again, amazing myself over here with these insights. 😉
The second reason to prepare your home for winter is repair costs. A furnace that doesn’t work at it’s top performance level, chimney that needs cleaned, drafts coming in from windows, and so on all lead to more expensive costs later on. Taking care of them now will help reduce the risk of taking on those costs.
Let’s get to it then.
Seal Drafts
Get a quick burst of winter air and you will quickly find out which of your windows and doors are allowing heat loss to penetrate through your home. Sealing these drafts is the first and foremost way to prepare your home for winter.
If for no other reason than how simple it is to do.
Use weather stripping like THIS. It sticks well and works for both windows and doors making it cheaper than buying two different products for one purpose.
You’ll should also consider using a door draft stopper if you’re getting cold air coming in from the bottom. The ones like THIS are generally cheap and work fairly well for what they are.
While you’re at it, don’t forget to check your attic and basement/cellar doors.
Cover windows to prevent radiating cold
Windows can not only be drafty, but they can actually radiate cold that comes off the glass. The easy way to prevent this is to use plastic sheeting. I personally prefer to use 6 mil Visqueen sheeting like THIS since it is thicker and actually prevents cold from getting in.
If you want to take this one step farther, grab a roll of bubble wrap and use it to create an air gap between the window and visqueen. It will both insulate and protect at the same time.
Protect Plumbing and Fixtures
It may not seem so, but plumbing systems are really susceptible to winter problems. Having pipe bursts happen is no fun for anyone including your wallet. To prevent this, take care of it before the weather truly does get bitterly cold.
Protect your outside faucet by using a faucet cover like THIS. They slip right over the cover and help keep it from freezing. If the water left inside of the spigot freezes, you’re going to have a mess.
Secondly, you’ll want to protect your water pipes themselves. If you live in a camper or a mobile home, you’ll want to look at using heat tapes for pipes like THESE. These electrical tapes, help protect hoses and pipes from the water within them freezing.
If you live in a house, be sure you have no leaks and consider insulating pipes under sinks and around your toilet if possible.
Prepare and Service Your Furnace
Your heating system is a machine and machines need serviced every so often. As you winterize and prepare your home for winter, make certain that you check that yours is running the way it should be.
This means turning it on and allowing it to come to the temperature you set it at to ensure it works properly. If anything doesn’t work properly, call an authorized HVAC professional and have them take a look at it.
While you’re working at the furnace, be sure to change the furnace filter. This should be done quarterly – at the very least – so the beginning of winter is a great time to do it. It will not only help your furnace work more efficiently but also save keep your family breathing better.
Have a Secondary Heating Source
Even though you may have serviced your furnace, it is always a good idea to have a back up heating source included when you winterize your home. Power outages and more can all cause your furnace to not be any use.
I heat with a wood stove, but I also personally keep THIS Mr. Heater 125,000 BTU forced propane heater with 240 lb. propane tanks on hand for moments just like that. It gives me the peace of mind I need if my wood stove can’t be used for some reason. It will do the same for you as your furnace back up.
Check Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Another step in preparing your home for winter that is often overlooked is to make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detector is working properly. If you don’t have them installed at all, now is the perfect time.
I personally have THESE smoke detector and carbon monoxide combos installed in my home. For the combo, they are a great price (usually). If you already have them around the house, be sure to test their batteries before you begin using your heating source.
Prepare Gutters for Winter
Your gutters desperately need your attention before snow and ice start falling. Ice dams can cause major issues if you ignore this. When snow and ice fall on the roof, warm air coming from your home itself can cause it to melt. This melting snow can then flow into your gutter, refreeze and cause a major issue.
To prevent this, make sure your gutters are firmly attached and are free of any debris. This will allow any flowing water to flow freely and keep you from worrying about ice dams and damage.
Prepare the Outdoors
One of the final steps you should take when you winterize your home is to prepare the outdoors. Take a look at the trees and bushes around your house and remove any dead branches that may break under the weight of ice. Be sure you have ice melt and rock salt on hand so you’re able to de-ice handrails, stairs and more. Have the tools you need – such as snow shovels – so you can remove snow from walkways.
Think Warm
Finally, think warm. Go through your home in your baref eet and look for leaks along cabinet doors and in other places that you might not think of. Check closets and outlets to be sure they have the proper insulation. If you have a fireplace, but no longer use it, close it off. Place area rugs around your home to help insulate the floor from cold radiating.
The more things you can do to winterize your home, the better off you will be. You will stay warmer with less work in the longer run and; your heating bill will thank you.
