"Fall" into Autumn with Style

Leaves are turning orange and red, wind is picking up, and stores are displaying pumpkins, sweaters, and Halloween and Thanksgiving décor. You know what that means… Fall is here! Now what do you do for your home as the season changes?

Time to Redecorate!
Seasonal outdoor decorating is as festive outside as it is inside your home. Place easy-to-tend container gardens with hardy plants like kale, asters, mums, and sedum, which can tolerate the chill but keep your outdoors colorful and alive! Add autumn colors and décor, like pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, and wreaths.
Pro-tip! Stock up for next Summer when this year’s decorations are on sale

Enjoy the Outdoors!
Just because it’s getting a little cooler doesn’t mean you should huddle inside just yet. Change your outdoor color scheme by swapping out the cushions on your patio furniture. A few lap blankets are always a good option to have on hand, too, and lay down an outdoor rug to cozy up an area. Cozy dinners with friends on the patio and lawn games like cornhole and badminton will keep you warm. And don't forget: give your pets flea and tick meds and even though it’s not as sunny as last month, doesn’t mean you should stop the sunscreen!

Pamper Your Home!
Just as you deserve a good spa day, so does your home. Open windows to let in refreshing cool air and use the following checklist to ensure your home is feeling as good as it looks:

• Fertilize the lawn. Your lawn will soon be taking its winter rest, but before you turn your thoughts to snow-blowing instead of lawn mowing, apply fertilizer to the lawn to promote healthier growth in the spring.

• Trim low-hanging branches. If you have any branches that are close to your home, cut them back to avoid damage to your roof, chimney, siding, or windows once it starts snowing in a few months.

• Pressure wash the exterior. Clean your home’s exterior— siding, windows, porch, patio, walkways, and driveway— to get rid of all the excess dust, dirt, and miscellaneous objects that have lodged there.

• Have heating systems inspected. It’s only a bit chilly now, so it’s time to check these out before you need to put them on blast. This includes your furnace, water heater, and chimney.

• Clean your dryer vent. Even though you, of course, empty the lint trap on your dryer after each load, the dryer vent behind the machine also collects flammable lint. Unplug the machine, turn off the gas supply, remove the tube that connects the dryer to the vent, and vacuum out as much lint as you can.
• Clean the gutters and inspect the roof. Get rid of any twigs, leaves, and debris built up in those gutters. While you or a professional are up there, check the condition of the shingles, if any are damaged or missing, make sure the flashing is intact, and see if the fascia boards are free of rot. If you're comfortable adventuring higher, take a flashlight and look down the chimney to see if there are any critters who lost their way down there— and call the proper regional wildlife centers to help them out.

• Plug up leaks and cracks. Check the weather stripping around your doors and windows. Be sure the bottom seal on your door is tight enough to prevent drafts and apply caulking to cracks on the exterior and along the foundation.

There are so many exciting things to do this Fall so enjoy every second you can!