Leaves are falling, the days are shorter, and it’s only a matter of time before Old Man Winter arrives here in Metro Vancouver. Now is the time to winterize your yard before the weather turns ugly and the outdoor home and garden items in your backyard pay the price. Here’s what you need to do:
- Put it away – Do a scan of your yard and store away any small lawn furniture, fabric cushions, portable barbeques, toys and games, gardening tools and accessories; and any other seasonal items that you are done with for the year.
- Cover it – Put covers or large plastic bags over your patio furniture and air conditioner to prevent damage from leaves and weather exposure.
- Clean your gutters – If there’s one thing you can count on in Vancouver, it’s stormy rainy weather that will wreak havoc on your gutters if they are not cleaned regularly. Winterize it now before you are faced with a trip up a ladder during the next fierce west coast storm.
- Rake it – It’s important to rake up the leaves on your property because they can destroy your grass if they are not taken care of. Shred the leaves with your lawn mower and reuse them as mulch for your garden beds.
- Lawn care – Mow your lawn one last time before cleaning your mower and putting it away for the winter. Do the same with the weed wacker.
- Hoses – Disconnect hoses from exterior taps, laying out the hose to make sure any water drains out before coiling and storing it for the winter. If you are storing your hoses outside, water left inside the hose may freeze which can damage the material. Any water timers or multi tap connectors should also be disconnected as they can freeze and break.
- Prep your ride – If you have had trouble in the past with the doors on your vehicle freezing shut when those frosty nights hit, prep your ride by putting silicon lubricant on the door seals. Keep a bottle of lock deicer handy for the locks in case those freeze too.
- Winterize and organize – Locate your winter tools and accessories (ice scrapers, snow shovels, snow blowers, salt) and stock up now on any missing items including storm supplies for power outages.
Once you have finished working on winterizing your yard, check out these 10 Easy Ways to Winterize your Home and Save Energy. It’s a weekend’s worth of work that is well worth the effort – especially come the Spring.
