Virgin Homeowner Winterizes....or So She Thinks!

March 05, 2013

With all of the crazy snow we had last week, I got to thinking about my house. We just bought it, and to be honest, I was not sure if it was insulated properly or if there was anything as a new home owner that I could do to make it better. When we moved in, our house inspector said everything major was covered, but I thought there must be something I can do to help keep the heat in and the winter out!

While looking for possible library books to help us on our search, I came across The Virgin Homeowner: The Essential Guide to Owning, Maintaining and Surviving Your Home by Janice Papolos. This insightful book covers many topics, from your first home inspection, fire safety, child proofing, and a ton of other items that a new home owner may have never even imagined having to deal with! The stories told are informative and fun. While it didn't really help me with my cold weather questions, it did cover heating systems, hot water, heat pumps of various varieties, hearths, and just about anything else connected to heating systems in a home! If you are thinking about buying a home, this is a good book to read! Unfortunately, while entertaining and informative, it really didn't help me, so I went looking again. I did a Google search for "ways to keep your home warm." I quickly came across an awesome list of 50 ways to keep your home warm. It was great! Of course there were the big issues mentioned: keeping your vents clear and proper thermostat use. But, there were some things I would never have thought of like draining your garden hose or opening your blinds for natural light and heat. I found another site that suggested I put up clear plastic shower curtains over my windows. They let the light in, but also act as a barrier for the cold. Although I have not put up the shower curtains, I was able to go through the house and make sure everything was closed correctly and winterized!

For more tips on winterizing your home, you can also access the Home Improvement Reference Center from home! You can also find many other helpful articles and even videos to help you with other home maintenance tasks.

Katie T.
Red Bridge Branch