Autumn Home Tips for Swindon Homeowners

As autumn rolls around, our minds turn towards dropping temperatures, shorter days, and cosy nights spent watching the leaves on trees and bushes change colour. We start to think about ways to make our homes feel warmer and more comfortable as the nights draw in, including getting our living spaces in tip-top condition before winter arrives.

While it is common for Swindon homeowners to do a bit of spring cleaning, don't forget that autumn is the season to give your home a deep clean. It is a time to clean those neglected areas of dust and grime blown in through open windows and doors during the summer, such as skirting boards, tops of cupboards and dusty shelves.

Here are a few more tips to help spruce up your Swindon home this autumn and prepare it for the chilly weather.

Grapple with your guttering

The end of autumn is a perfect time to clean out your guttering. This is the time of year that trees shed their leaves, and the wind picks up speed. Cleaning dead leaves, moss and other debris out of your gutters will allow rainwater to flow correctly and reduce the risk of blocked gutters and drain pipes that can cause leaks and damp patches in your home.

Check your gutters and drainpipes for cracks, holes and other damage that may cause water to ingress into your home or damage your brickwork. Check ground-level drains, too and remove any debris that can cause blockages and flooding of your garden and ground-level paving.

Freshen up your décor 

It is easy for skirting boards, doors, and walls to get scuffed over the summer, especially if you have a busy and active family running around your home. Autumn is an excellent time to freshen up your home with a fresh lick of paint or add some new wallpaper. 

Having freshly decorated walls can give your home a new lease of life. It is also a great time saver as Christmas approaches, as you will have clean walls to hang your decorations on. There is nothing worse than hanging festive decorations on shabby walls, and the glow of fairy lights and candles can show up all those scuff marks and worn patches on your walls.

Declutter and streamline your rooms

As we tend to spend more time indoors during autumn and winter, making our living spaces as comfortable and welcoming as possible makes sense. Having a good declutter during autumn is an excellent idea as it will free up some much-needed space for Christmas.

Sort through your cupboards and donate to charity any unwanted homeware, electrical items, or furniture you don't want or use. Go through your wardrobe and bag up all those outfits you have shoved to the back and haven't worn in over a year. Giving your old clothes, shoes, handbags and jewellery a new home through a charity shop will save them from going to the landfill and give you more space for any new clothes or accessories you will get as gifts this Christmas.

Introduce some autumn colour

Autumn is known for its rich colour palette, so incorporating muted yellows, warm orange, deep red, and earthy brown tones can inject a bit of autumnal colour into your home. You can choose to refresh your paintwork with more rich colours or add new soft furnishings and accessories that utilise these colours.

Add a warm and cosy sofa throw in a rich red shade, or add some warmth to your bedroom with a new bedspread and matching pillows using an autumnal-themed colour scheme. Utilising these colours will instantly bring the autumn indoors.

Give your windows some TLC

Autumn is an excellent time of year to give your windows a little love. Vacuum your window blinds or dry-clean your curtains to eliminate trapped dust and germs. Give your windows a thorough clean and inspect the frames and seals for damage or wear and tear that can be fixed before winter. 

With the weather turning more chilly, you may notice your windows misting up or condensation forming on your window panes. If mist or water droplets are developing inside your double-glazed window panes, this can be a sign that the seals have failed.

Tackling misted windows and condensation build-up is essential for the health and effectiveness of your double glazing. See these tips for more information about preventing and fixing misting and condensation issues in your Swindon home.