November Household To-Do List

Sat, Nov 04, 2023 15:09 CET

November is already here! Now is the time of year when the nights are getting darker, the weather is getting colder, and autumn is in full swing. This month is all about getting your home ready for cosy winter nights and preparing everything ready for the festive season ahead. Starting to get your house ready for Christmas now will help to ensure that December isn’t any more stressful than it already is.

Below, the home experts at MyJobQuote.co.uk have created a guide on everything you should do around the house in November. These tips will help to ensure your home is in top shape and ready to take on the Christmas festivities next month.

Get The House Ready For Winter

The most important thing you can do this month is make sure your home is ready for winter. The first frost will be arriving soon, so it’s important to ensure your house is ready to deal with these harsher conditions. There are several things you can do to get your house ready for winter, from checking your heating system to insulating your pipes. Take a look below for some information on what we recommend doing this month.

Insulate The Pipes

Frozen pipes are one of the most costly and most common problems that homeowners face during the winter months. It doesn’t cost a lot at all to insulate your pipes. However, it can make a huge difference in making sure your pipes don't freeze or burst over winter.

When water freezes inside your pipes, the water then expands and puts pressure on the walls of the pipes. This can cause the pipes to crack or rupture. This can then result in water damage, flooding, and some very costly repairs. To prevent this from happening, you should always insulate your pipes with foam or fibreglass sleeves before the cold weather really sets in.

When you insulate your pipes, pay close attention to the ones that take hot water from your boiler or cylinder to your hot taps. These are usually found in airing cupboards, underneath sinks, or close to your boiler.

Check Your Home For Draughts

As the weather is becoming colder, you may start to notice some draughts in your home. If you have noticed any draughts, you must begin by identifying where the draughts are coming from. Check for cracks around your property and also feel for draughts around windows and doors.

Seal any cracks or gaps with caulk or weatherstripping to take care of the draughts. You may also want to consider a draught excluder that you can place at the bottom of your door to keep draughts from coming in underneath the door.

Check Your Heating System

During the next few months, you’ll likely be using your heating system a lot more. With this in mind, now is the best time to check the system to make sure everything is working as it should. You don’t want to find yourself without heat during the festive period.

A professional boiler inspection is a very good idea. The professional will identify any small issues before they become bigger problems. That way, you can get these smaller issues fixed to prevent any problems when you really need the heating. You should also get your boiler serviced once each year for this purpose.

Program Your Thermostat

Your thermostat can make a huge difference in how comfortable your home feels during the colder months. Plus, it can also greatly affect how much you are paying for your energy bills. One of the best ways to save money on your energy bills is to program your thermostat. Adjust your temperature at different times of the day based on your daily routine. This means that you can ensure your home is warm when you need it to be and will conserve energy when you don’t need the heat as much.

You may also want to consider installing a smart thermostat before the weather gets really cold. This allows you to control your heating system from your smartphone, and you will even be able to control your heating remotely when you're not at home. This is a perfect option for people whose plans often change or for people who often forget to change their heating settings.

Top Up On Emergency Supplies

The days are much shorter during the winter time, and it's often very dark in the home. This means that it can be much more inconvenient if there is a power cut during this time. Power cuts can be common in winter, with so many people using more devices and energy. With this in mind, it's important to make sure you have enough emergency supplies should you find yourself in this situation.

Below is a list of some important things that you should make sure you have before the winter months:

Matches
Torches
Candles
Spare batteries
A first-aid kit

You should also make sure you have your energy supplier’s number at hand, just in case you experience any issues with power over the winter months.

Christmas Preparations

Christmas is just a few weeks away, so now is the time to start making sure you are ready for all of the festivities. This can include several things, such as the following:

Buy and Wrap Gifts

To prevent you from becoming very stressed in December, it’s best to ensure you are ready for Christmas now. The best way to be prepared is to buy all of your gifts before December. The more gifts you can purchase now, the better, as this will prevent you from having to panic buy gifts at the last minute.

Wrapped gifts can provide an extra bit of Christmas decoration. So, consider purchasing gifts now and wrapping them in fancy wrapping paper so that you can display them proudly underneath your tree. Be the envy of all of your friends by being gift-prepared now.

Declutter Your Space

One of the most important things you can do before Christmas is decluttering the space. You should make sure everything is put back in its proper place. If you can get each room properly organised, this will help you with the entire cleaning process in the run-up to Christmas.

Decluttering will also give you the opportunity to throw away anything that you no longer need or use, allow you to make space for the gifts that you'll receive and also give you more space for Christmas decorations. You may be surprised at what a big difference decluttering can make to your home.

Clean The Oven, Stove, and Fridge

It's a good idea to give your stove and oven a good cleaning before you start your Christmas cooking. You can purchase special cleaning products for these appliances, which can provide deep cleaning and get rid of all of the existing dirt and grime. This can also help to make your appliances more energy-efficient.

When it comes to the fridge, you should go through and get rid of any products you're not going to use or any expired products. Throw away the things that you no longer want or need. Examine all the shelves and give each area a good clean as you go along. It's important to allocate plenty of space in the refrigerator for your Christmas cooking.

Deep Clean The Bathroom

There will likely be more people than usual who are using your bathroom over the festive season. With this in mind, it's worth giving your bathroom an extra deep clean before the festivities begin. Wipe the toilet, scrub the floor, and clean the bath and shower thoroughly.

If there are any stains on the tiles, sinks, or counters, remove these as best you can. Disinfecting will also help ensure your bathroom is as clean as possible. Make sure you have plenty of supplies for guests, such as toilet rolls and clean towels.

Get Your Home Ready For Guests

If you are having guests staying over for the festive period, now is a good time to start thinking about where people are going to sleep. If you have a spare bedroom, you should aim to get this sorted out now so that you're fully prepared for when people arrive. This will also take some of the stress away next month so that you're not rushing to get everything ready at the last minute.

If you need to buy anything for your guests to make them more comfortable while they are at your home, try to get these items now and put them in place ready for your guest's arrival. Clean all bedding and get this on the bed. If your guests have an en-suite, make sure this is deep-cleaned and ready for their arrival.

Make Sure Your Garden Is Prepared For Winter

During the winter, you don’t really have to worry too much about gardening as the majority of your garden will be dormant at this time. However, winter can bring all kinds of awful weather conditions, so it’s important to make sure your garden is ready to tackle all of the harsh weather conditions that could come over the next few months. This can include things like heavy rain, frost, snow, wind, and hale.

If you have any new plants in your garden, you will need to stake these to ensure they are able to stay put throughout the season. Older plants should be inspected regularly to ensure they are not becoming weak or damaged. If you have any climbing plants in your garden, you must make sure these are properly tied up to supports or trellises.

You should also make sure that your fences are properly stable and able to withstand heavy wind. You don’t want to check outside after a storm and find that your fence has blown away. If your fence is quite old or weak, you may need to consider reinforcing the fence.

It's likely that you've already completed the final mow of the year for your lawn. However, if you haven't, now is the time to do so. In addition to completing the final mow, it's also important to properly aerate your lawn to prevent waterlogging. Use an aerating device or a fork and poke several holes into your lawn to improve drainage. This will also allow oxygen, water and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the soil, promoting good root growth. Overseeding also becomes more effective after aerating the lawn.

So, if you haven't taken the time to give your lawn some TLC yet, now may be the time. It's essential that you prepare your lawn ready for when it goes dormant over winter. The more prep work you do now, the healthier and happier your lawn will come back in the spring.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are many things that you can do during this month to make your life easier for the coming festivities. Plus, there are some essential things that you can do to ensure your house is warm comfortable, and doesn't experience any problems in the harsher weather. The more of these things you can do during November, the more prepared your home will be and the less stressed you'll be over the following few weeks.

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