A Winter Maintenance Checklist: 9 Cold Weather Tips For Apartments
Winter is a beautiful season, but it can bring its fair share of challenges, especially for apartment renters. As the temperatures drop and the snow begins to fall, ensuring your apartment is ready to withstand the winter chill is essential.
In this blog, we share an apartment winter maintenance checklist offering 9 cold weather tips for apartments to help you prepare your home for the cold. We cover both interior and exterior aspects to make sure your winter experience in your rental community apartment is comfortable and hassle-free.
Winter Maintenance Checklist: Interior of Your Apartment
Avoid Frozen Pipes
One of the most common winter woes is dealing with frozen pipes, so this lands #1 on our apartment winter maintenance checklist. To prevent your pipes from freezing, keep your faucets slightly dripping when it's freezing outside. This helps to maintain a constant flow of water, reducing the risk of pipes freezing and bursting. Don’t waste your water, though! This would usually only be necessary during the coldest nights of the year.
Thankfully, in our apartment buildings, there will be plenty of heat flowing throughout the buildings and parkades to prevent pipes from freezing. If you are having issues with your pipes this winter, please contact your building's Boardwalk Associates and Maintenance team members.
Test Your Heat
Before the cold really sets in, add checking the heat to your winter maintenance checklist. This means checking your apartment's thermostat and heating system to ensure it's in good working order and warms up the apartment appropriately. If you notice any issues or hear weird noises, contact your Boardwalk building manager or property management team so we can promptly help resolve this.
Establish open communication with your building management and dedicated Boardwalk maintenance team. Report any heating or insulation problems promptly so they can address them before they become significant issues.
Save Money, Stay Warm
A comfortable home in winter can be expensive, but there are ways to save on heating costs. Invest in flannel sheets and cozy blankets that can help you stay warm without cranking up the heat. Putting on a nice pair of fuzzy socks and cuddling under a blanket can help you lower your thermostat by a couple of degrees - those few degrees could save you hundreds of dollars on your energy bill.
Make sure to set your thermostat to a low temperature when you’re not home. Having your heat blasting while you’re out can be quite the energy waster. Another one of our cold weather tips for apartments is to schedule your thermostat. For example, have the heat auto-turn to a lower temp at bedtime or when you’re not home.
Reducing any and all drafts is also a top way to keep the heat in, the cold out, and energy bills low. Put a towel along the bottom of doors and any windows. Whether you can feel a draft or not, this can be more impactful than you might think. Closing doors and keeping your blinds drawn while you’re not home also helps save heat and keep your bills lower!
And remember, even on the coldest of Canadian days, there is nothing like a snow day dance party to warm you up! Check out our list of perfect songs for a snow day the entire family can enjoy.
Use a Boot Tray
Keep a boot tray near your apartment entrance to prevent snow, salt, and slush from being tracked inside. This will help keep your floors clean and dry and avoid the warping due to wetness or the staining of carpets.
Prepare an Emergency Kit
One of our favourite cold weather tips for apartments is to build an emergency kit for freezing Canadian winter nights. If you’re a newcomer to Canada, it’s important to be aware the winter weather can be unpredictable - it might be sunny and +10? one day and -40? the next.
In the rare but not unforeseen circumstance that the power goes out in your neighbourhood or street, make sure you have the crucial items. Prepare an emergency kit with essentials like flashlights, non-perishable food, extra blankets, cozy socks, and water bottles in case of power outages or heating failures.
Winter Maintenance Checklist: Exterior of Your Apartment
Tidy Up Your Balcony or Outdoor Space
If you have a balcony or outdoor area, be sure to clean it up before winter arrives. The last thing you want is rotten Halloween pumpkins, potted plants, and outdoor cushions to still be outside during a blizzard.
Store any outdoor furniture, cushions, or decorations indoors to protect them from the harsh winter elements. If your building doesn't offer additional storage options, using tarps to cover outdoor furniture also does wonders in terms of protecting it from the elements. Protecting your outdoor furniture will ensure you won't have to replace everything in the spring. Keep that outdoor furniture looking and feeling great for years to come!
Bring In Your Outdoor Plants
If you have potted plants outside, consider bringing them indoors or placing them in a sheltered area. The freezing temperatures can harm many plants, so it's best to protect them.
If you can't bring your outdoor plants indoors during the winter due to tiny children and animals, consider a greenhouse setup. Many smaller greenhouse options at stores like Canadian Tire can help you keep your plants dry and warm all winter long.
Take Advantage of Building Amenities
Residents of the Boardwalk Community have access to free snow removal and maintenance services. Make the most of these amenities to keep your apartment building’s exterior safe and well-maintained during the winter months!
Many Boardwalk apartments for rent also offer residents covered and/or underground parkades. If your building offers these, contact your building's manager to secure your parking stall or get on the waitlist. Nothing is better than getting into a warm, snow-free car on a -40-degree day.
Avoid Slipping With Our Maintenance Team
In icy conditions, slipping and falling can be a real danger. Ensure you know your apartment buildings' winter maintenance protocols, including salting or sanding walkways and stairs to prevent accidents. We do our best to keep everyone safe during the cold, slippery months. Let's work together to keep your buildings as safe and cozy as possible.
Ditch the Winter Blues with the Boardwalk Rental Community
Having a winter maintenance checklist is crucial for apartment renters, and by following these cold weather tips for apartments, you can prepare your home for the cold season ahead. By taking care of your apartment's interior and exterior, you'll ensure a comfortable and safe winter experience.
At Boardwalk, we want to make winter less wintery by providing our buildings with snow removal and exterior maintenance. Don't let winter get you down, and begin enjoying all that the snow has to offer! Explore what rental communities we have available near you: apartments for rent with Boardwalk today!
So, stay warm, be proactive, and enjoy the beauty of winter without the hassle!