As summer comes to a close, many people in Dallas are feeling relief at seeing the temperatures drop out of the high 90s and low 100s. However, while you may be ready for fall and winter, your home and yard may not be. There are steps you need to take to make certain your home and yard are winterized, and some of these steps need to be taken before the fall begins. Even if you rent an apartment or condo, there are things you should do to make certain you’re ready for colder temperatures. Here are a few tips to help you prepare your home and yard for the fall and winter.

Make Sure Your Hoses and Sprinklers are Winterized

If temperatures drop below freezing, it can damage your sprinklers, garden hoses, and anything else with water in it. As it freezes, water expands, and that can lead to burst hoses and pipes. Before winter arrives, unhook all of your hoses from your outdoor faucets. Ideally, you’ll want to store them in the garage or shed just to make sure they don’t get damaged over the winter. However, you can leave them outdoors if you don’t have any other place to keep them. Just make sure they’re unhooked and that there’s no water in them.

It’s possible for sprinkler systems to freeze and burst, too, even though the lines are buried. To prevent this, you’ll want to shut off the water to your sprinkler system and turn off any automatic settings so it doesn’t try to turn on regularly. Open up the drain valves and drain out any water left in the system. Make sure the sprinkler heads have no water left in them by taking them off and draining them. You can reattach them once they’re dry. Once you’ve made certain there’s no water in the system, it’s ready for cold temperatures.

Prepare Your Flowerbeds and Gardens

Fall is a great time to prune your trees and bushes. You want to make certain there are no branches hanging over your house or driveway. If Dallas is hit with a major ice storm, those branches could snap off and fall. If they’re large enough, they could go through your roof or severely damage your car. Even worse, they could hit the power lines that connect your home to the grid, leaving you without electricity. If you have an electric furnace, this would leave you without heat during an ice storm. 

Even if you don’t need to trim back any tree limbs, be sure to remove any dead ones. You may need to reach out to a tree specialist for this, especially if the limbs are located at the top of the tree.

To protect your flowers, you may want to put down mulch. Many people add mulch to their flowerbeds as soon as it starts getting cold, but this is something you actually don’t want to do too early. Experts recommend waiting until we’ve had the first frost of the year. Once that has occurred, put down mulch to keep the ground temperature stable for the rest of the winter. 

After you’ve trimmed branches, removed dead bushes, and made other changes to your yard, you can call Junk King Dallas to pick up all the debris. We will haul away limbs, bushes, and even entire trees if you need us to. 

Have Your Chimney Cleaned

If you have a fireplace and plan on using it this winter, you’ll need to have it cleaned before you use it. Both gas and wood-burning fireplaces need to be cleaned and inspected so that no carbon monoxide will build up in your home. A professional chimney sweep will check the flue, clean the chimney, and inspect it for damage. This cleaning will also reduce the risks of a fire occurring. 

Clean Out the Shed

You’ve likely been in and out of your shed all summer, and that can leave it a little disorganized. Before winter hits, take the time to clean out your shed. Get rid of anything you don’t need, and organize everything else. If you don’t think you’ll need to mow your yard again, you can winterize your mower by adding a fuel stabilizer to the tank or, if it’s nearly out of fuel, simply run it to use up what’s left. 

If you’re going to need to get any winter tools such as your snow shovel or winter sports equipment you store in the shed, consider rearranging the space to put those items towards the front. This way, you won’t have to sort through gardening tools or pool toys to get to them. 

Once you have all the junk together that you need to get rid of, give Junk King a call. We will haul it all away as long as it isn’t hazardous. If you do have hazardous materials, you’ll need to reach out to a hazardous waste disposal professional. 

Clean Out the Garage, Too

Don’t forget your garage. You’ll want to clean it out, too, especially if you don’t currently have space to fit your vehicles in it. You will want to put your car in the garage when winter hits, especially during hailstorms. Being able to get to your car without going outside can also help prevent accidents such as slipping on an icy sidewalk. As with your shed, this is a good time to move things around. Put your summer items towards the back and bring up your winter equipment and holiday decorations. You may even want to put your summer gear in the basement or attic.

Of course, Junk King will take care of any trash you have in your garage. Whether it’s old shelving, bins of broken holiday décor, or a busted refrigerator you’ve been holding onto for years, we can handle it all. 

Have Your HVAC Inspected and Repaired

Before it gets cold, you want to have your HVAC system inspected to make certain there’s nothing that needs repaired or cleaned. You may even want to consider getting an annual maintenance contract. This way, you know that your heating will be ready to go when you need it. During the winter, the experts who can make repairs or replace your system are often booked up weeks or even months in advance. You don’t want to go that long without heat, especially when temperatures are down in the single digits. 

Clean Out the Gutters

Have you cleaned your gutters recently? Many people put this chore off for as long as possible, but you should do it (or have it done) before winter hits. If your gutters are full, there’s no place for water to go. It could then overflow, which isn’t good for the exterior of your home. This can happen during the winter with snow. If a good amount of snow accumulates and then melts off, it can cause a good amount of water damage if your gutters aren’t able to carry the water off. You may even want to add downspout extensions to your gutter system to help keep water away from your foundation so you don’t end up with ice freezing around your home.

Clean Out Your Closets and Other Areas

Before fall and winter get here, go through your closets. Do all of your winter clothes still fit? If not, it may be time to get rid of them. The same is true if you find things you haven’t worn in over a year. You’ll want to make sure your coat and other winter gear fits well and is in good condition.

Doing a clean-out of your home before winter gets here is a good way of making sure you don’t end up with too much junk in your home. If you can’t park in the garage and don’t find much out there you can get rid of, you may need to move some of those items to the basement, attic, or even a spare bedroom. Cleaning out those spaces can help you find the space you need.

Junk King, of course, will take any old furniture, appliances, or other items you decide you want to get rid of. We’ll even come into the house and carry them out for you, so you don’t have to worry about trying to get bulky furniture through the door. We’ll do all the heavy lifting.

Call Junk King Dallas Today to Junk Pick Up

Got your garage, shed, and closets cleaned out? If you know what you want to get rid of, it’s time to call Junk King Dallas. We will haul away anything you have that isn’t hazardous so you aren’t trapped with a ton of junk over the winter. Even if you don’t get everything cleaned out now, don’t worry—we still pick up junk during the colder months. 

Junk King Dallas now provides residential junk removal and commercial junk removal to the following areas in and around Dallas, Texas: Garland, Highland Park, Mesquite, Plano, Richardson, Rockwall, Rowlett, Sunnyvale, and Wylie.

To learn more or to get a free, no-obligation quote, give Junk King a call at 1-888-888-JUNK or text us at 1-737-888-5865. You can also use our online estimation tool or book an appointment through our website.