A Storm Guide: For All Homeowners in the Pacific Northwest

Nothing like a good ice storm to really get you on your TO-DO game…Here’s all my tips for how to prep your house for when freezing temperatures are expected.

First let’s start with the quick stuff:

1. Remove hoses & insulate hose bibs 

2. Move cars away from big trees

3. Charge anything that you might want to use 

4. Get snacks! Especially food that doesn’t require any cooking

5. Oh & Yaktraks are INCREDIBLY helpful shoe traction devices 

Long-term tips:

1. Look into buying a generator or having a secondary source of heat 

2. Insulate your water pipes

3. Find an insurance agent who you actually like & save their number

4. Create a “storm kit” which you can easily access: flashlights, extra batteries, candles 

5. Trim & maintain any large trees near your home

And when the storms hits:

1. Keep a small amount of water running indoors to hopefully prevent your pipes from freezing. If you forget this and suddenly no water is coming out, locate your water shut off valve so you can be prepared if a pipe does burst. 

2. Keep your heat at one temperature, as it’s less work for your HVAC than needing to turn on and off

3. Try to remove snow from the sidewalk in case things turn icy

I hope some of these tips are helpful and if all else fails, call Maggie! I’m here to help with any other information and/or any recommendations for vendors.

Take care & stay warm!