As you might have guessed by reading today’s Frugal Living post, I have snow and the snow in New Orleans on my mind. We’ve already had our first good snow this year, although it melted away a couple of days later. Still I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about snow and your home.
When I was little, the windows in our apartment were so drafty that when it snowed, the snow would actually come in the windows and pile up in the corners of the windowsill. As a child, I thought it was great fun to make indoor snowmen, although I am sure my parents thought otherwise.
This brings me to the first point with snow. It should stay outside. If it is getting in your home, that is a big, um, huge, signal that you need to insulate with upgraded windows or doors, storm windows or doors or even plastic, rolled up towels or other physical blockers.
If ice gets into your front door lock and it freezes up, you can try this simple solution. Heat your house key up a little bit with a match and then try it in the lock.
If you tend to get long icicles hanging from your roof, then you may have some ice dams up there as well. An ice dam will clog up your gutters and prevent water from draining. This could cause damage to your roof. Iced dams can be dangerous to remove, so it is best to call a professional.
You can remove snow from your roof with a special roof rake, but go carefully. Always work from a ladder, not the roof itself, as it could be brittle or you could slip. Never attempt to melt the snow using chemicals or heat. This could damage the roof, and the chemicals could drip down and damage grass and plants.
Keep snow away from the house. When shoveling, don’t pile it against the house and remove it from basement windows, stair wells, walk-out doors and walls. This will help keep your basement dry and keep your foundation free from damage.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog and caring for little ones in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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Frugal Winter Wonderland: Ice Candles
Frugal Fun: Make A Snowman Kit