School is back in session and the smell of pumpkin spice lattes fills the air — which means that fall is here! As summer comes to a close, we have started thinking about winterizing our homes and toys, including boats. Winterizing your biggest investments help protect them from extreme temperature changes in the coming months. By the time the mercury starts to rise in the late spring, you’ll be grateful that you made the effort to winterize and protect your summer amenities including patio furniture.

Winterizing at Home

Preparing Patio Furniture for Winter Storage

winterize patio furniture You spent so many summer nights laughing with friends and family in the backyard that it’s important to preserve your patio furniture over the winter months. Taking the time to winterize your patio furniture now will help keep everything pristine for when spring returns.

Many patio furniture sets are manufactured to remain outside during the winter, but some precautions should be taken if you live in a climate with harsher weather conditions. Here are a few tips for winterizing your patio furniture:

  • Wash aluminum furniture and then apply a coat of automotive wax for extra protection. You can also touch up aluminum furniture with car paint in the appropriate color to extend the life of your items. Most aluminum furniture is powder-coated to help prevent rusting, but a little wax helps, too.
  • Wrought iron furniture can accumulate rust. Remove any rust that has appeared on your wrought iron patio furniture with a wire brush and add a coat of exterior spray paint designed for this type of metal before covering it with a quality tarp for the winter.
  • Apply a specialty oil to teak furniture to help it maintain its original color at least once a year. Wicker furniture can stay outside year-round, but natural rattan needs to be kept in a dry, dark space. Check natural material furniture for damage and repaint any areas that are flaking before moving to storage.
  • Deter mold and mildew from acrylic fabrics by cleaning, vacuuming and shaking off items made from this material – cushions, umbrellas and additional upholstered patio furniture. Fight tough stains with a bleach/detergent mix. On cotton or printed fabrics, use soap and water only, no bleach.
  • Spray plastic patio furniture with a hose and dry with a towel. Plastic furniture needs to be stored indoors for the winter due to its potential to become brittle.

If you discover you don’t have room in the garage to store your patio or deck furniture, consider renting a storage unit from Security Public Storage. Our storage units come in a variety of sizes and work great for storing patio furniture. Because you won’t be touching patio furniture for the next six months, renting a storage unit keeps it out of your way, yet still accessible.

Preparing Your Home for Winter

clean out gutters If you live in a part of the country that experiences freezing temperatures in the winter, it’s important to prepare your home for this in the coming months.

  • Add weather stripping or install storm doors and windows to prevent cold air from entering your home. This preventative step should help reduce your power bills.
  • Have your fireplace inspected annually. Before building your first fire, check for animal nests or creosote buildup in your fireplace that can be hazardous. Remember to vacuum or sweep out any remaining ash from the firebox.
  • Clean out your gutters as soon as the last leaves of autumn have fallen. Gutters should be inspected and any leaves and debris removed in order to allow melting snow to drain properly.
  • Bring plants and flowering trees inside before the first cold burst. Plants should typically come inside before temperatures dip below 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Replace your furnace filter. A dirty furnace filter with trapped lint, dust, pollen, etc., obstructs airflow, which means your furnace needs to work harder and run longer to heat your home.
  • Start winterizing your roof by looking for broken, curled or missing shingles. Clear leaves, pine needles and other debris that has accumulated. Cut any overhanging branches to prevent damage to shingles and gutters.

Winterizing your home helps prevent damage caused by extreme changes in temperature and can decrease your heating costs by preventing air leaks.

Winterizing Your Boat

winterizing your boat

Before starting to winterize your boat, gather all of the items you’ll need for the process. This includes a few gallons of RV antifreeze, fogging oil, motor oil, an oil filter, lower-unit lube and drain plug gaskets. You’ll also need screwdrivers, sockets and combination wrenches.

  • Change the oil and clean the carb — You’ll start by sucking out the oil and changing the filter. Next, top off the gas tanks with non-oxygenated fuel if available. For your boat, add a marine fuel stabilizer to the tank and run it into a landing. With the boat still in the water, remove the spark arrester from the carburetor and fog the engine. The rest of the process should be done on land after you have trailered the boat.
  • Tip the trailer up and place a bucket under the hull drain plug and then remove the plug. Remove the drain plus for the exhaust manifolds, power steering cooler and oil cooler. Leave the block drain plug out and then reinstall all of the other plugs and hoses.
  • Remove the thermostat and pour in RV antifreeze until it drains out the block drains. Once done, reinstall the block drain plugs and the hull drain plug.
  • Lube the lower unit — Unscrew the bottom drain plug on the lower unit and allow the lube to drain for a few minutes before removing the upper vent plug. Once the old lube is out, replace it with fresh lube. Remove the battery terminals and give it a full charge.
  • Cover the boat and move it to an RV/boat storage space at a SPS location near you.

Some homeowners associations have rules against storing your boat on the streets in your neighborhood or on your own property in some cases. Boat storage from SPS provides you with a secure, clean, well-maintained and accessible place to store your boat in the winter months.

Winterized and Ready for Storage

After properly winterizing your home, boat and patio furniture, you’re ready for self storage at SPS. With locations all throughout the west coast and the Washington DC metro area, you’ll have no problem finding the right storage for your personal or business needs. Visit our Locations page and find the self-storage facility nearest you. Our team of professional managers is ready to help you find the storage unit for your specific needs.

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