11 Essential Fall Home Maintenance Tasks Everyone Should Tackle

Winter weather does a number on your home, and if you’re not on top of your maintenance schedule, you might be in for some unpleasant surprises come December. It might still feel too warm outside to be worrying about some of these tasks, but summer and early fall are the perfect time to do some preventative maintenance.

Here are 11 tasks you should start tackling before the cold weather settles in.

Your roof is your home’s first line of defense against the elements, and winter weather can do a number on its structural integrity. For these reasons, a quick roof inspection should be your number one priority for fall home maintenance.

You don’t have to hire a professional to do a basic inspection. The video above from Hail or High Water Roofing and Restoration lays out the process nicely. Here are the basic steps to cover:

If everything looks solid, you’re good to go, but if you find any areas of concern, contact a professional roofer before winter weather hits.

Nobody likes cleaning the gutters. Unfortunately, it’s a non-negotiable task—especially as leaves, pinecones, pine needles, and acorns begin to fall. It’s a fairly self-explanatory task, but as gutter maintenance professional Broden Hill explains in this video from Insider, there’s one important rule to keep in mind: Always clear wet debris by hand. Using a leaf blower is fine for totally bone-dry gutter debris, but if it’s at all wet, elbow grease is the way to go.

Damage to your home’s foundation will only get worse during cold, wet weather, so it’s important to identify and fix any issues before winter sets in. Take a close look at your exterior foundation as well as your basement and/or crawlspace, paying special attention to:

Cracked or otherwise uneven surfaces are extra-hazardous when covered with ice and snow. Thankfully, minor cracks in concrete are reasonably easy to fill yourself with a polyurethane sealant. It’s not a permanent structural fix, but it’s an easy, low-cost way to make your outdoor surfaces a little safer this winter.

If you suspect your windows or doors are leaking cold air into your house, you can easily check for drafts with a lighter or piece of tissue paper. Just hold the flame (or paper) up to the borders of the window and watch carefully to see where the flame flickers. Serious drafts may require new windows, but if that’s not in the cards, a simple weatherstripping installation should keep the worst drafts at bay.

Mulching is an absolute must for fall garden maintenance. It protects plant root systems from harsh cold and replenishes the topsoil for better planting in the spring. The best fall much is free and seasonally appropriate, too: Rake up fallen leaves, shred them up, and spread them around your vegetables, flowers, trees, and shrubs.

You really don’t want to let your garden hoses and exterior spigots freeze. Best case scenario, you need to buy a new hose for next season; worst case, you have a burst pipe to deal with. Start by turning off your exterior spigots and letting them drain to avoid any pressure buildup from frozen water. Next, drain your garden hose. You can do this the old-fashioned way by disconnecting the hose, draping it over a branch or railing and letting it drain over the course of a day or so—but as this video explains, you can also rig up a custom attachment and use an air compressor to blow the water out, which looks pretty fun.

Window and portable AC units take a beating during the summer. Before you put them into storage, give them a thorough once-over to make sure they’re clean and ready for action when you need them next. It’s pretty simple: Start by removing and replacing the filter, then carefully remove the housing so you can get at the guts. Using a garden hose and diluted dish soap, clean all the accumulated gunk from the interior of the unit. Of course, be sure to let it dry completely before reassembling and storing.

Your furnace keeps your house toasty warm all winter long, so you need to make sure it’s in tip-top shape. Replacing the filter is a must, but did you know that you can also clean your furnace yourself with a Shop-Vac and a brush? Clearing out dust and debris from the housing and blower fan is a simple way to keep your furnace in good working condition all winter long.

If your home has a wood-burning fireplace, you should make sure it’s in good working order—and your chimney is clear—before cold weather arrives. You can clean the hearth yourself with some common household supplies, but unless you really like getting dirty, leave the chimney sweeping to the professionals.

Last but not least, a good old-fashioned carpet deep-cleaning is a great way make your home feel cozier this winter. Depending on your preference, you can call the pros or rent a professional carpet cleaner machine from a home improvement store—either way, you’ll probably want to watch it in action.