When fall and winter season arrives, it’s time to update your home and lifestyle. The first thing that tips me off to a need for change isn’t the pungent aroma of pumpkin spice, but it’s when I have to reluctantly dig into my drawer and put on a pair of socks. No more sandal season! This inevitably leads to a wardrobe switchover when I put my summer dresses, tanks, and shorts into a vacuum-packed bag for storage and bring out the sweaters, thermals, and thick tights. It’s a bittersweet moment because, depending on where you live, it means the hot and humid weather is gone, but it also means the holiday season is approaching. And there’s lots more to do in your home than just revamp your closet.
Every room of the home, both inside and out, could do with an overhaul to help make the transition easier and better prepare you for the changing of the seasons.
Prepping the kitchen
Have you ever felt like a piping hot soup then shook yourself and realized no, it’s summer. That’s winter comfort food. All summer, you have probably been barbecuing, blending smoothies, and enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables from your garden. To prep for fall and winter, pull that crockpot, multicooker, or slow cooker out of storage because colder weather means soups and stews will become your favourite evening meals.
There might be small appliances for the kitchen that use only in summer and will want to put away, too, like an ice or ice cream maker. I, for example, have the Yonanas machine that turns frozen fruit into an ice cream-like dessert treat. I bring it out in the summer, then pack it away in the cupboard for the winter. You might also want to start getting your large roasting dishes and serving platters out of storage as part of your holiday planning.
Packing away the backyard
You’ll want to prepare your outdoor space for the cooler weather. Sometime before Halloween (sometimes after, depending on the weather patterns), we’ll pack away the cushions and throw pillows for our outdoor patio sets, where they’ll stay in storage until spring. Before the snow comes, we’ll cover the outdoor dining table and patio set with a fitted cover to protect them from the elements. Doing so will help extend the life of your patio furniture, and it’s crucial for certain materials. We also have an outdoor TV, which we protect with its fitted cover.
Fall and even winter doesn’t necessarily mean you’re relegated to staying only inside, though. We bought a patio heater a few years ago so that we can still enjoy time outside during the cooler months. Prep by getting a full propane tank (if it’s fueled by propane) so you don’t go to switch it on one night and realize it’s empty. You can also use a fire table, great for entertaining larger groups or for the entire family to sit around and enjoy a few more nights outside. These also provide the benefit of extra lighting.
Not everyone has ample outdoor storage space: I, for example, don’t have a garage, just a shed in the backyard. At the end of the season, we’ll usually move things like the bicycles, gardening tools, and outdoor pillows to the back and bring things like the shovel, snow brush, and other winter-related tools to the front for easy access once we need them.
Get ready to keep the outdoors clear of snow
Walkways and patios can become a hazard once snow arrives so prepare for this ahead of time. Snow blowers, snow throwers, and snow rakes and shovels may be used a lot or only a little during the cold months. Either way, assess your needs before the snow arrives: Best Buy has a selection of all of these snow removal essentials.
Enhancing the living room
If you’re a TV buff like me, you know that the new primetime season usually kicks off in September. Sure, streaming has changed all that, with hot new shows coming out all the time. But chances are you spent so much time enjoying the great outdoors through the summer that you have tons of shows you want to catch up on. This means time to enjoy family (or solo) time in front of the TV in the living room. Plus, with plenty of sports kicking off in the fall, like hockey and football, you’ll be spending a lot of time watching the big games. That makes fall and winter the perfect time to invest in a new big screen TV. Consider going bigger than what you have and opting for 4K to get the best viewing experience possible (with an appropriate content subscription). The latest smart TVs serve as portals to all your favorite streaming services, or you can insert a streaming stick to access even more if it’s not built into the TV itself.
If your morning or afternoons runs, trail walks, or hikes will now turn into workouts at home, you’ll find that the bigger TV comes in handy for more reasons than just watching shows, sports, and movies. Invest in an Apple TV as well and connect your Apple Watch to do some Apple Fitness+ workouts. We have a 75-inch TV in the basement where I do my workouts, and it makes a world of difference in terms of my level of engagement and the overall experience. As I follow along with trainers on the big screen, it feels like they’re right in the room with me.
Getting the bathroom ready for a new routine
Wait, you can update the bathroom and get it ready for colder months? If you’re one of the lucky ones who has heated bathroom floors (yes, these are a thing) you’re all set. If not, something as simple as a thicker, fluffier bathmat can help keep your feet warm after stepping out of a hot shower.
You might also want to switch up your cabinets with personal care items that you’ll use more often in the winter, like a blow dryer and hair straightener (if you’re like me and have curly hair, there’s no point using either during the humid summer months) and creams and ointments for dry skin. Maybe you’re planning to shave your beard and goatee for Movember and can prep those tools to be ready for the transformation.
Keeping the bedroom at the right temperature
Usually when the fall arrives, we’ll turn off the air conditioning but leave the heat off as well until it’s absolutely necessary to turn it on. You can extend this energy saving period a bit longer with a tower fan that has a heating mode as well and use it in a room like the bedroom where it might get colder than it does on the main level of the home. You could alternatively get a portable heater. Don’t forget to swap out the thin, summer-friendly cotton sheets with something thicker and warmer, like flannel.
Conversely, if you turn off central air conditioning and end up with an un-seasonally hot fall night (this happens often in Ontario where I live), you can switch to cooling so you can sleep comfortably. Bonus if the unit has an air purifier or built-in dehumidifier to ensure that the air is clean and it doesn’t get musty. The great thing about portable fans with heat is that you can use them all year ‘round. Even when central air conditioning is on, the upper level of our home is always hotter than the main level, so we use fans to help recirculate the central AC upstairs, too.
Get ready for cold weather!
For those who relish in the summer months like me, it’s sad to have to put away the sandals, shorts, and tanks and realize that the winter boots, parkas, and toques must be close at hand. But there’s a lot of great things about fall and winter, too; from the gorgeous falling of the leaves to exciting winter sports. You can prepare not only yourself, but your home as well, for the new seasons to come and make this year the best fall and winter season ever.
See plenty of home living gear at Best Buy Online.
