Skip to Main Content
Window with decorations

News & Blog

Nov 19 2025

10 Tips to Winter-Ready Your Home

Home Tips

Your Quick Guide to Winter-Proofing Your Home

Being a homeowner is a labor of love, and winter is when that love really shows. As the Midwest chill sets in, these ten practical tips will help you keep your home safe, warm, and energy-efficient all season long.

Outdoor Faucet

#1

Protect your outdoor faucets

Drain and disconnect any hoses and turn off the water source to protect your outdoor faucets from freezing.

Window sill

#2

Inspect and seal gaps around windows and doors

As houses settle, it’s normal for small cracks around the trim of windows and doors to appear. Even small cracks can let in cold air — use caulk to seal these gaps.

If you can see light around the edges of your doors, you need new weather-stripping. Pro Tip: Pick up caulk and weather stripping at the Fort Wayne Habitat ReStore.

Ceiling Fan

#6

Reverse your ceiling fans

Switch your ceiling fans to spin clockwise during the winter months. This simple trick pushes warm air down, which can help lower your heating costs.

Smoke detector

#7

Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

Check that your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working properly. Replace any old batteries and make sure to hit that test button.

More Posts

All Posts

Nov 20 2025

With winter around the corner, below are some community resources that might help lighten the load this season.

Oct 23 2025

A successful Huntington golf outing, one new Habitat homeowner, and more happenings at Habitat GFW this October.

All Posts