3 Things I Will Not Forget This Winter And You Shouldn’t Either!

I adore winter and snow, it is my favorite time of year actually even though gardening is not the best and so many days have to be spend inside trying to keep warm and dry. There are certain things though about winter that I have to keep in mind and I think you should too! Be safe!

1. Change the Air Filters and Air out the House

Indoor air pollution is no joke as I have been learning more and more this year. You can read about my last post on the topic Dangers Of Indoor Air Pollution and How to Fight It In short:

• 3.8 million premature deaths annually from noncommunicable diseases including stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are attributed to exposure to household air pollution.

I haven’t always been vigilant about changing out the air filters in the house or airing our home out but this winter now that I know better I will be sure to do so and you should too!

2. Drip the Pipes

While I live in Georgia I didn’t think this was all that important but we do get weather that is below freezing and after a disaster that befell a dear friend last winter I will be sure we drip our pipes this year. You see our sweet friend Sabrina lives in Maryland in a big, new, home. While at work unbeknownst to her, a pipe busted upstairs in her home. It was below freezing and she didn’t remember to drip her pipes. She was in a hotel for months and the repair work took a very long time as she needed the floor ripped out and walls and her electric bill was huge because of the dehumidifiers and fans tat hd to be run for weeks to prevent mold.  It made me keenly aware that everyone should have a plumbing repair company they can trust. It was a nightmare and one easy to prevent, just drip the pipes! I will not forget this year and I hope you will not either, even if you have not had this issue before and think you live too far south for this to be a problem. Better safe than sorry.

3. Make sure the tires are great and you have an emergency kit good for winter!

Living in the south means we don’t need snow tires but if you are in an area with a lot of snow I highly recommend them. Even without needing snow tires I am making sure our tires are great. You see we got stuck on the side of the road a few winters ago and learned a hard lesson. We spent hours on the phone with AAA trying to get help. Hundreds of cars and trucks passed us over those cold hours and not one of them stopped. We had a van full of cold kids in the middle of no place and thankfully other than our cell phones dying we were prepared and able to keep them warm and fed. It was scary I can’t lie. So make sure your tires are great for the coming weather and travel plans and make sure your emergency kit can handle the cold too!