8 Ways to Prepare Your Home for the Changing Seasons

These tips are especially good for new homeowners!
How to Prepare Your Home for Fall & Winter and the changing seasons: tips and tricks for homeowners

So… how do you feel about the approach of fall coming closer each day? We’re halfway through August and I can’t believe that soon it will be time to tuck away the air conditioner and bust out the sweaters. Now that we’ve been in the cabin nearly a year, I am thinking of chores that need to happen in order to prepare for the changing seasons. It always feels like I’m a bit behind, but, with this list in hand, maybe I won’t be this year! If you’ve ever wondered how to prepare your house for fall and winter, I hope these tips help.

How to Prepare Your Home for Fall & Winter

Come up with a storage plan

To prevent drafts during cooler months, we remove our window a/c unit and store it in the shop. Before packing it away, I make sure to give it a good cleaning. Usually I vacuum out the filters and wherever I can, then wipe it down with all-purpose cleaner. I also stow our garden pots that hold annuals so that they don’t become waterlogged with PNW winter rains.

Stowing outdoor furntiure is a must, as well. I suggest making a plan for your home’s specific needs similarly!

Wash the textiles

I like to wash our curtains twice a year: spring and fall. I also take the time to launder throws and whichever pillow covers are machine washable. That way everything is fresh and clean when it’s time to curl up by the fire wrapped in a blanket!

Clean out the gutters

Surprisingly, our cabin actually does not have gutters! But the bungalow did. So I always made sure to set aside a weekend dedicated to cleaning out the gutters to prevent all those fall leaves from clogging them.

Schedule a pest control visit

I learned this lesson the hard way with our old house… apparently rodents are usually more active in the winter months because they are trying to come in and get warm! I always wondered why it was so much colder in our living room than the rest of the house… and it was because pests had removed the ducting from the vent, thus heating the crawlspace and making a cozy space for themselves!

I highly recommend scheduling a professional pest control appointment and asking them for exclusions. Basically, that means they will put hardwire mesh anywhere that a mouse could potentially squeeze through. It isn’t glamorous, but it’s totally necessary.

Check your emergency kit

I shared our emergency kit and essentials previously and always check that it’s ready for winter storms before the seasons start to change. For example, I just restocked our pharmacy items and first aid kit, plus got a few more jugs of emergency water. Take some time to inventory your emergency kit and see what else is needed! It’s also a great time to check your generator if you have one.

Clean your windows

Our cabin has SO many windows and usually they are covered in cobwebs. Such is country life! I want to get into the habit of washing our windows and windowsills twice a year so that we can take advantage of our forest views as much as possible. Plus, summer is usually really dusty so cleaning your windows helps to press the restart button as the changing seasons roll in.

Clean the fireplace

This is definitely something we will be doing, especially as our woodstove is our primary heat source! I use a small brush and dustpan to clean the inside of the stove, then hire a professional to clean the chimney. I think this year I will also add cleaning the exterior of all of our stoves (including the propane stoves) because they’ve gotten rather dusty over the summer.

Shake out your rugs

Before the weather gets too cold, I recommend taking your rugs outside and giving them a good shake. You can also drape them over a clothesline and beat them with a racket like in the olden days! Even though we vacuum regularly, shaking our rugs, especially the Moroccan ones, helps to extend their lives.

Do you have any additional things that you do every year to prepare your home for fall and winter? I’d love to know! Leave a comment and let me know.

You might also be interested in…

How to keep a white sofa clean with pets. Care instructions for white couch, how to keep white upholstery clean, plus cleaning hacks for fabric and fabric care tips and tricks

How We Keep Our White Sofa Clean (With Pets!)

With 3 dogs, 1 cat, 2 humans, and countless (outdoor) chickens, people think we’re nuts for having a white sofa. And trust me, up until we got it, I would have agreed with them! But now that we’ve lived with a white sofa for over 2 years, I’m happy to report that I have zero regrets. While it doesn’t look totally brand new, it still looks pretty darn good — especially given how much use it gets! So today I’m sharing how we keep a white sofa clean, including alllllll the cleaning tools I use.

Read more

12 Entryway Essentials for Winter Cabin Living including the best outdoor doormat, the best indoor mat, boot scraper, storage baskets, winter boot storage ideas and more!

Entryway Essentials for Winter

With 3 dogs, 1 cat, 2 humans, and countless (outdoor) chickens, people think we’re nuts for Well, we had our first snow here at our cabin! It’s a really small amount, only about an inch, but the snow has definitely made me realize how much more we have to do to get more settled here. A big one is our entryway area. I have always wanted a proper mudroom, but this house doesn’t have a designated one, unfortunately. We at least have a nook as part of our living room that we can deck out, though! That being said, I’ve had to make a few purchases for our entry area, so I wanted to share these entryway must-haves with you — especially my favorite all weather doormat!

Read more

Photography & styling by Jojotastic.

Behind The Blog

Joanna Hawley-McBride is a Pacific Northwest-based social media strategist, content creator, and former textile designer. Joanna is the founder and editor-in-chief of Jojotastic, a lifestyle blog focused on Joanna’s work-in-progress cabin, finding the best pair of underwear through #UnderwearThesis, and empowering women to explore nature — all in her signature unfiltered style. Her work has been featured in Domino, CNBC, and Eating Well.

Let's stay in touch:

Shop my picks on Amazon

Shop now

Please note that I use affiliate links at times here, as well as on my social media accounts. This means that if you click on a link to a product and purchase that product, I may receive a commission based on your purchase. I only feature products that truly inspire me. Any products that have been gifted to Jojotastic for review are noted at the bottom of the post. Sponsored posts are noted as such. All opinions are my own and always will be! Thanks for supporting content that keeps Jojotastic going.

Leave a Comment