This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Duck Brand. All opinions are 100% mine.

While working from home for the past 8 months, I have discovered more things about our home. The airducts from my husband’s office are situated in just a way that I can hear his phone conversations in the kitchen, my dogs can see through the window blinds to bark when other dogs walk by, and our windows are causing cold air drafts throughout the house.

We recently had our first freeze of the season so it is definitely time to make sure our home is winterized before it becomes a more common occurrence.

Today, I’m sharing a few tips of how we have been preparing our home for winter so we can stay extra cozy inside the next few months.

Home Weatherization Tips

Outdoor Faucets

Faucet covers. Use them. Also make sure that the pipes headed to these faucets are insulated if they run through exterior or garage walls.

Sprinkler System

This past spring we discovered where the valves were for our sprinkler system. It was great to have the lawn watering automated during the summer; however, water filled pipes underground during the winter isn’t the best idea.

If you have a sprinkler system, make sure to empty the lines before the freeze.

Gutters

Falling leaves plus increased precipitation is a recipe for disaster. Make sure to keep the gutters and downspouts clear so the rain can easily drain away.

If your property has storm drains, please also ensure those are clear to prevent flooding.

Trees

Fall is the time when many plants need to be pruned. Not only is this to promote growth in the spring, but also for the health of the tree, and safety of those around you.

One year, we had to go outside in the middle of a fall storm because the branches of our fig tree were breaking during the storm as the leaves hadn’t completely fallen off yet. Since then, we’ve made sure to prune the trees as we head into fall to prevent damage to the tree, or other property.

Electrical Outlets

Did you know that you cold air can escape into your home through your electrical outlets and light switches? Foam Socket Sealers can be easily installed to block the air from escaping into your home.

Grill

Do you grill year round? If not, you should winterize the grill before storing it away for the winter. Make sure it is cleaned and the gas is turned off before adding a weatherproof cover.

Windows

Since we are all spending more time at home this winter, the thermostat is always set at the “home” setting, and can lead to higher heating costs.

We realized that our windows were causing cold air drafts so we started looking into ways to keep the cold air outside.

Our solution for keeping the cold outside of our windows this year? The Duck Brand Rolled Window Kit!

These kits come as one large roll so there are no measurements required!

The first window that we tackled was our Master Bedroom. Right behind our bed is a garden window. We don’t know why that was the selected window by the previous owners, and it is on the list of things to eventually change because it is at an awkward height, and creates a large dust collecting ledge behind our bed.

This ledge of the garden window has a tile floor, so any cold drafts are increased by this tile.

We spend the first part of our mornings in our bedroom with Emmett. While we are getting ready for the day, Emmett will hang out with us in the room (and often times tries to figure out how to get onto said window ledge to peer out the window).

The Duck Brand Rolled Window Kit creates a seal around the window, and a pocket of air for added insulation. This puncture resistant film is extra strong for protection from pets, or for use in high-traffic areas.

The installation process is simple. The kit comes with the film and double sided adhesive, the only other tools needed are scissors and a hair dryer.

While I kept feeding Emmett snacks, Brad got to work on the installation. He had the film up in about 5 minutes, and then we pulled out the blow dryer to shrink the film and get rid of any wrinkles.

The film is clear, and I can still easily see out the window and check out what is happening in the back yard.

We still spend our mornings hanging out in our bedroom, but now without the cold draft coming from our garden window, and a barrier to keep Emmett out of the window. Definitely a win-win situation!

Duck Brand offers lots of options for home winterization. Make sure to check out their Weatherization Project Selector to see all the options.

How have you prepared your home for winter this year?