September Home Maintenance Tips

House

• Restock your supply of wood heating accessories. If you use fire starters, Fatwood kindling, and fire logs, now is a good time to restock. Make sure your utility lighters and long stick matches are handy. Purchase a refillable, flexible, utility lighter to save money and reduce waste. 
• Drain, flush, and refill your hot water heater. Sediment build up can both affect the operation of your hot water heater
• If you have central air conditioning or forced hot air heat, you should replace the air filter on your fan unit on a regular basis. Be ready to replace the filter at the end of September. With the house being closed for the winter forget those ineffective "cheap" filters and purchase a quality Filtrete filter manufactured by 3M.
• Wash out and disinfect the inside of your kitchen and outside garbage cans.
• If we are fortunate enough to get an Indian Summer, take advantage of the last few warm days and enjoy a barbecue. But don't wait too long before you clean, repair, and store your patio furniture. 
• If you missed doing so in the spring, inspect your crawl space or basement for leaks and cracks. If needed, seal any cracks with spray foam insulation and leaks with anti-hydro/water plug cement. Apply waterproof paint to damp walls.
• If you have a sump pump, clean and test the pump. Run the pump through a cycle to make sure the float is operating properly and the check valve prohibits back flow. 
• Air out and clean the house before the cold weather and those holiday guests arrive. 
• With the cooler weather, rodent season is approaching. Refill your supply of mouse traps, poison, and nontoxic deterrents. Consider electronic repellent devices.
• Check your home's exterior lighting. Replace any bad light bulbs. Install motion-sensing lights to improve the security of your home.
•  You can either install timer switches to control exterior lighting or plug in timers to control lighting inside your home. Both options improve access, security, and reduce energy costs.  21 Country Stores have a complete line of conventional and Green energy-saving light bulbs. Whether you need traditional incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, or low voltage light bulbs, we have them.

Yard

• Remove any diseased, sick, or dead trees and shrubs. 
• Implement your fall lawn care program. A second application of lime improves soil pH and improves the color of your lawn without causing it to grow faster. 
• A winter fertilizer helps encourage root development.  The new grass-seeding season winds down by the middle of the month. You can seed new lawn or patchy spots up until about the 15th of the month. Use starter fertilizer to encourage good root development. 
• It will soon be time to start raking those fall leaves. If you are looking for help this year, consider getting a leaf blower. Electric and small gasoline blowers are good for flower beds and around the house. If you are going to work in larger areas or need to move piles of leaves you will need a larger gas powered blower. Backpack blowers are good for the hardest jobs.

Garden
 

•  For annuals and perennials that are starting to die, you should remove any plant litter and dead-head old flowers.
• Add compost, manure, and mulch to garden beds.
• Try working on a second season tending to their late autumn vegetables like cabbage, peas, spinach, and Swiss chard.
• After they bloom, divide over crowded perennials including irises and bulbs.

Seasonal Supplies

• Refillable utility lighters & long stick matches
• Tarps & bunji cords
• Light & appliance timers
• Heating & air condition replacement filters
• Spray foam, water plug cement
• Sump pump, discharge hose, & check valves
• Grass seed, fertilizers, & lime
• Light switch timers 
• Exterior motion light fixtures 
• Mouse traps, poison, & deterrents
• Exterior light bulbs
• Compost, top soil,& peat moss
• Two cycle engine oil