10 Tips to Get Your House Ready for Winter

5. Clean and Inspect Gutters
“Leaves, water, and debris can clog the gutters, which are meant to protect our home’s foundation and siding,” says Kyshawn Lane, who provides home improvement advice through his “Weekly Home Check” accounts on TikTok and Instagram. Keeping gutters clear, and making sure they aren’t coming loose from your roof, can help ensure that winter rain and melting snow runs off your roof and through downspouts. “It’s best to address this at least twice a year,” Lane says.

You can hire a local professional to check and clean your gutters—a wise choice since falls from an extension ladder can cause serious injuries. If you do the job yourself, use a ladder that extends 3 to 5 feet above your roof, and make sure it is securely planted on the ground.

6. Repair Patios and Pavers
A loose patio or paving stone will only get worse over the winter as the natural freeze and thaw cycle of the soil lifts it farther out of place in a process called “frost heave.” Have a mason or handyperson reset the loose stones in the autumn.

7. Look for Ailing Tree Limbs
A dead branch covered in ice or snow can easily snap, endangering people below and potentially causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. Falling limbs are also a major cause of power outages.

“If you can reach the limb safely, check for flexibility and healthy-looking wood by scraping back the bark,” says Matt Schimmenti, who oversees CR’s chainsaw testing. “If you cannot reach the limb safely to check, it’s best to call a professional who can inspect and provide an estimate for safely removing the limbs.” Contact a properly insured and reputable tree service, landscape contractor, or arborist.

8. Secure Outdoor Water Sources
Drain and store any garden hoses or sprinklers before the first frost to eliminate the chance that they’ll freeze and burst. For hose bibs, turn off the water supply valve inside your house or basement that feeds the line, then open the outdoor spigot. Any water trapped inside will drain out. (If you don’t open the spigot, trapped water can freeze and cause a burst pipe inside.)

9. Mark Garden Beds, Paths, and Driveways
After a heavy snowfall, it can be tough to see where driveways, flower beds, or walkways end and your lawn begins. That makes it hard to clear snow—and more likely you’ll end up damaging something, especially if you or a contractor will be using a snowplow. Line the edges of those areas with fiberglass snow poles or driveway markers. (You can also check out our recent snowblower test results.)

10. Prep for Wildfire Season
The winter is a good time to prepare for wildfire season, which is starting earlier and extending later in many regions. Our detailed guide to preparing for wildfires includes advice for handling emergency situations, by planning evacuation plans, keeping smoke detectors up to date, and so on. But there’s also a lot you can do to make your home more resilient. Keeping your yard clear of flammable picnic tables and other furniture, removing branches close to your roof, and landscaping with fires in mind can make a big difference, as can fire-resistant roofing. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention and the National Interagency Fire Center are good sources of information.