Temps are about to plummet, here's how to prepare in and around your home
MINNEAPOLIS -- While fall colors are still popping, it won't be long before our winter wonderland returns to Minnesota.
"Bring it on, embrace it. It's Minnesota," said Charlie Hornig from Apple Valley.
Hornig is a new homeowner and was gearing up for winter preps at Frattallone's in St. Louis Park Wednesday morning.
"It's never too early," said Frattallone's Manager Jim Lee.
One big thing, Lee said, is to make sure to clear gutters of leaves. That helps prevent damaging ice dams in the spring.
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"Getting your gutters cleaned out, making sure they're flowing properly and flowing away from the house, is extremely critical this time of year, especially since we've had so much rain lately. It's actually a great time to get out there and get your gutters cleaned," said Lee.
"We've got heat cables on the roof for preventing ice dams," said Hornig.
Another important step is to shut off the water going to your outdoor spigot. That prevents burst pipes and flooding inside your home.
When turning off your water, make sure to disconnect your hose and make sure there's no water left inside of it.
You also want to rake up as many leaves as possible. That helps prevent snow mold and gives you a healthier spring lawn.
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As far as inside a home, check for cracks and gaps.
"You want to be calking up any gaps, anything that you've got around windows and doors," said Lee.
Doing that keeps your house warm, lowers energy bills and keeps some other things out of your home, like mice.
"This is the time of year where the pests are starting to come in the house," said Lee.
If you have a chimney, make sure your damper is working and burn a creosote log once a year.
When it comes to shovels, snow blowers snow melt, Lee's advice is to buy it sooner rather than later.
"Anything we can put out, they're buying," said Lee.