How to Prepare Your Home for Autumn

Preparing your home for autumn doesn't mean you have to stop and wait for spring to arrive. These practical preparation steps will help you enjoy your home more this autumn and even make the most of your garden space on the dry days.

We've broken this post down into the garden/exterior of the house and then how to prepare the inside of your home for autumn so you feel cosy as the nights get longer.

Preparing Your Garden & Exterior

Autumn is a time when we naturally start to spend less time in the garden. There is less light daytime, and plants and trees all slow down their growth, so there isn't as much need to care for them. Following these useful steps will help look after your home.

Cut the lawn for the last time

Mid-September is the ideal time to cut your grass for the last time. The lawn will still grow over autumn and winter but at a much slower pace than in late summer.

Cutting the grass now will prepare your garden for autumn and also mean you can safely store your lawn mower (but not before you clean it off one last time before autumn).

Trim Bushes and Trees

While the growth of trees and bushes slows down, it's an ideal time to trim back any excess growth. With all the leaves falling off many trees and bushes, the garden can start to feel a little bare in autumn but trimming back now will help encourage new growth when spring arrives.

Clean Your Gutters from Leaves

Don't wait for the final leaf to fall from the tree before you clean out your gutters and clean your garden of leaves. Keeping on top of this autumn task will help prevent blocked drains and also mean your guttering will be efficient when the rainier months arrive.

If you are not one for heights, hire a local tradesperson to come and help you out. Ask them to check for any leaking or signs of damage that might need repairing while they are up there.

Organise your Garage or Shed

Keeping your garage or shed organised will help you easily locate the tools you need over autumn. It's never fun to be rummaging around in the dark to look for something you know is there but can't find because you had to store items from the garden quickly.

Take time to clean out your garage and put things back in an ordered fashion, as this will mean you can locate them when you need them. Placing summer items towards the back, but keep autumn or winter items within easy reach at the front.

One last tip on this section is to put bulky furniture towards the back, as you'll not then have to climb over it to reach the items you need.

Clean and Put Away Your Garden Tools

Before you store all them items in your garage or shed, have you cleaned them off or had them serviced? One of the big issues tradespeople get calls over is that their lawn mower has seized up over winter, as they didn't clean it off or add any oil to moving parts before storing it.

Cover and Store Furniture

Preparing your garden for autumn doesn't necessarily mean you have to put all your furniture away. Maybe you plan on having a winter BBQ or adding lights to your garden means you plan to make the most of being outdoors.

If this is you, then maybe the best option is to find suitable covers for your outdoor furniture but to keep space available in your garage if you need to store them ahead of any storm arriving.

Keep Autumn and Winter Tools in Easy Reach

Let's be practical, you'll still need some items over autumn and it's best to keep them towards the front or within easy access. There is no point storing your leaf blower at the back of the garage, as you'll not be able or want to climb over everything to reach it.

Other items you'll want to store indoors but might want them over the winter are your patio heater, fire pit or BBQ. Especially if being outdoors on bonfire night and toasting marshmallows over the fire pit is what you have planned. See our post on winter BBQ ideas.

Check Your Roof for Damage

Let's get practical. It can be easy to forget about the roof, especially over the summer months. Getting your roof checked can save you thousands in repair bills if you have damage that is left unchecked.

Contact a local tradesperson and ask them to check your roof today.

Add Lighting to Your Garden

Adding the lighting to your garden will add a mood and warming feeling that is very welcome when you want to enjoy your garden over autumn. Garden lighting doesn't just have to be floodlights; there are many other ways that you can create a welcoming feeling in your garden.

Check out our post on lighting ideas for your garden.

Clean Your Windows

Look after your windows and keep them well maintained. Cleaning off spiders and any debris that has built up will help keep your windows working efficiently and less likely to need repairing or replacing.

Check for any draughts and repair them where you can. Making sure you keep hinges and locks lubricated and free from any debris will help your windows last longer.

INSIDE YOUR HOME

Now let's look at the inside of your home and see how you can make your home a place where you feel relaxed and want to spend time this autumn.

Autumn Clean your Home

We are used to the term spring clean, but the term autumn clean isn't as popular. Doing a good deep clean of your home ahead of the autumn is a great way to prepare your home for the winter.

There are a lot of benefits of doing a deep clean of your home any time of the year. For a more in-depth idea of what to clean, check out our spring-cleaning guide. This guide includes 10 real-world steps that will help make cleaning your home count.

Declutter Your Home

Decluttering isn't just minimising what you own; decluttering is finding helpful storage solutions for the items you need and help towards creating a larger sense of space in your home.

Decluttering is a popular subject and applying our 3 Simple Steps to Decluttering will help you have a less cluttered home. Once you have decluttered, you'll feel more relaxed and want to spend time at home.

Check out our other posts on decluttering:

• Declutter your home with ease
• Home Storage Ideas To Help Declutter
• How to Declutter Your Kitchen

Get Your Boiler Serviced

As the autumn nights draw in and the temperature becomes cooler, keeping your home warm matters. Your boiler hasn't done much over the spring and summer months, so now is an ideal time to get it serviced before you switch on the heating and need to rely on it to keep you warm.

Autumn is also an ideal time to get your boiler serviced, as we have found call-out times can increase significantly once winter arrives.

Move Your Furniture

Changing where you put the furniture in your room will help it feel fresh. As the saying goes, a change is as good as a rest. Think of how you can swap your room around to give it a different feel over the autumn months.

You can combine moving your room around with a deep clean or decorating, and it truly will feel like a new room.

Add blankets to Your Sofa

Autumn is a time when the temperature starts to change. Instead of reaching for the thermostat and putting the heating on, add some colourful blankets or throws to your sofa. Adding these to your room will also add a splash of colour to your room to help brighten things up.

Add Scented Candles

Pumpkin spice, baked apples and cinnamon are all commonly connected to autumn. You can fill your home with these delightful smells by baking (who doesn't like baking). You can also add these autumn smells to your home with a candle.

Often, these candles are bright oranges and reds, and all add to the feeling of autumn.

Change the Colours of Your Room

Fresh decoration in your home is a great way to keep your home feeling fresh in the autumn months when you're spending more time at home. Decorating in autumn means that you can also still keep the windows open and help the fresh paint dry.

Did you know that hiring a painter to do the decorating from you is the best way to get the decorating done and doesn't cost you as much as you might think (especially when you factor in buying the equipment and the trips back and forth to the DIY store). See our post on should you hire a painter or do it yourself.