With the change in season bringing more time indoors, November is the perfect month to prepare your home for colder weather. Keeping your home warm, comfortable and safe during the winter is easier if you anticipate potential problems by performing a few simple checks and tasks now.

Here are all the home maintenance tasks you should do in November.

Check your vents and crawl space for critters

As the weather gets colder, wildlife may be looking for a good place to shelter for the winter. If you have uncovered vents or crawl space access, these can prove to be an inviting place for critters. To keep them out, make sure vent covers are in place and crawl spaces or any other exterior nooks and crannies are sealed or covered with sturdy wire mesh. This method will help defend against squirrels, raccoons, rats, mice, birds and bats.

Check your fire and carbon monoxide alarms

If you have non-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, you need to change the batteries once a year to ensure they work properly, and now is the perfect time to do it. If you have already changed the batteries (maybe by turning back your clocks?), test your hazard detection system to make sure it will alert you if there is smoke or dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the home. As people spend more time indoors during the colder months of the year, there may be a high risk of fire from the use of heaters, candles and cooking, and Keeping windows closed and sealed can increase the risk of carbon monoxide buildup indoors. Re-examining your detectors can help reduce the risk of these seasonal issues.

Install protection against bad weather

If you live in an older home or if some of your windows or doors are not well insulated, November is a good time to protect problem areas from the elements. Start by inspecting the weather stripping around doors and windows. Check for leaks, broken or worn strippings. If you find any gaps, you can use a replacement weather stripping to seal all openings. If you have larger leaks around windows or doors, or older windows are letting in too much air, you can also use a weather protection kit to temporarily seal your leaking openings with heat shrink plastic wrap. This basic weather protection will keep you warm and help you save money on your utility bills.

Gather Supplies for Winter

If you live in an area where there can be a lot of snow and ice in the winter, it’s time to stock up. the melting of the ice, shovelsAnd roof rakes. Take a look at your snow removal tools and make sure they are in good condition before using them. Replacing equipment before a storm can save you headaches during a winter weather event. It’s also a good time to put away your ice scraper, snow brushAnd snow chains in the trunk of your car. If you live in an area subject to heavy snow and ice, you should also leave a scraper and de-icer in your garage or laundry room so you can access it if your vehicle is frozen.

Clean ovens and other crumb-catchers

Kitchen fires can be caused by toasters and ovens with deposits of crumbs and other food particles. When the appliance heats up, leftover food also heats up and if it gets hot enough, your appliance may catch fire. Since people tend to stay home and use their oven more during the colder months, not to mention have more fun during the holiday season– ovens and toasters can get more of a workout this time of year. Checking that your appliances are safe in November can save you from disaster later.