Winter Preparedness Checklist for You and Your Home
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
I’ve lived in Wisconsin all my life, so prepping for cold weather is part of our yearly routine. I put together this winter preparedness checklist to help you to be prepared, too.
Little things can make a big difference when it comes to keeping warm and safe in winter. A friend made one change from this list and raised the temp in her daughter’s bedroom over 10 degrees – without turning up the thermostat.
With the right preps, we reduce our heating bills all season, and are ready if a winter storm knocks out the power.
Table of contents
Winter Preparedness Checklist
Start with the house, inside and outside, then make sure each family member has the right gear for keeping warm. Remember, a Winter Storm Watch means conditions are favorable for bad weather. A Winter Storm Warning means severe weather is imminent or occurring.
Home Preparation
There’s no place like home – unless you forgot to get your home ready for winter. Let’s get started.
Heating System Maintenance
- Schedule a professional inspection of your furnace or heating system.
- Clean your heating system. Replace filters in your furnace and clean vents. Clean the woodstove and chimney and inspect for any signs of wear.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, replacing batteries if needed.
- Get stocked on fuel. Make sure your propane tank is full for the winter and/or you have plenty of dry firewood or heating pellets. You do not want to realize you are out of fuel when there’s a blizzard warning.
- If there is blowing snow, make sure your fresh air feed and vent stay clear.
Weatherproofing and Draft Control
Even with good windows, doors and patio doors, you might need to block drafts. In our first house we had a brand new front door. When we got winter weather with temps below zero, the door frosted up along the bottom edge. We added draft blocker against the door to reduce heat loss.
Some spots to check for drafts include:
- Weather stripping on all windows and doors. Replace any that is damaged or missing.
- Electrical outlets – may have drafts. If you are qualified, disable the circuit, pull out the plug and carefully insulate around the box. Outlet insulation is a simpler fix.
- Door bottoms. Place rolled up towel at the base of a front door or drafty door to keep heat in or cold out. Another more attractive option is heavy duty draft blockers that lock to the door.
- Windows – See the Reduce Window Heat Loss Section on 25 Cheap Ways to Keep Your House Warm in Winter. Installing window insulating film over an old patio door helped my friend warm up her daughter’s bedroom.
Check the roof for leaks and clear gutters to prevent ice dams. This is especially important when dealing with freezing rain or abrupt freeze/thaw cycles.
Keep an eye on your roof throughout the winter season. If you get icicles or ice dams, you likely have excess heat loss in the attic. Inspect the roof the following spring/summer for leaks due to ice damage.
Emergency Supplies
Many of the supplies for winter preparedness overlap with general emergency supplies.
- Stock up on non-perishable food, bottled water and toilet paper.
- Keep flashlights, batteries, and candles on hand.
- Prepare a first-aid kit and essential medications.
- Have a fire extinguisher on hand.
- Invest in a backup generator if feasible, and test it regularly.
- Charge cell phones and portable power banks for essential devices.
See “How to Stay Warm During a Power Outage” for more on storm preps.
Plumbing Protection
Most homes built in cold climates are insulated to prevent freezing pipes, but if it gets too cold, unexpected problems can pop up. Frozen drain pipes are a more common issue, because the water sits in the pipe.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
- Insulate exposed pipes to prevent freezing.
- Know how to shut off your water supply in case of a burst pipe.
- Let faucets drip slightly during extremely cold weather. You can also open cabinet doors where plumbing is concealed to let the room heat reach the pipes.
If severe cold threatens, “Prevent Frozen Pipes – Extreme Cold Weather“. If it’s too late to prevent freezing, see “How to Thaw Frozen Pipes“.
Space Heaters
Use space heaters wisely. We recommend Buddy Heaters (that burn propane) for safe indoor use. There are also a wide variety of electric space heaters available. Check and double check to make sure any combustion device you choose is rated for indoor use and that you have enough airflow.
On electric heaters, watch for frayed cords or other signs of excess wear. Always keep combustible items clear of your heat source, and don’t plug electric heaters into a power strip. They will melt the strip.
Winter Preparedness for You
Stock Warm Clothes. Make sure each family member has:
- Long underwear tops and bottoms.
- Good winter boots and outdoor gear (if you’re freezing outside, it’ll take you that much longer to warm up when you get in)
- Clothes that you can layer for warmth, such as flannel over shirts or sweatshirts
- Very warm wool socks and slippers.
** For more info, see The Ultimate Guide to Cold Weather Clothing
Bedding. Make sure you have a few extra warm blankets and comforters. Watch for sales or buy them secondhand to save money.
- A good wool blanket can really improve the livability of a cold house or cold bed. If you don’t like wool, sandwich it between cotton sheets or other blankets.
- Electric blankets can heat up the bed before you get in, and then get turned off once you get warmed up.
- Choose flannel sheets for extra warmth.
- Purchase cold weather sleeping bags (one per person) for emergencies (or winter camping or really chilly bedrooms).
- Down comforters trap insulating pockets of air, keeping you warm without adding a ton of extra weight.
See “No More Cold Feet in Bed” for more tips for toasty toes.
Targeting heating. Use chemical hand warmers in gloves, footwear or pockets. Be careful because they may be too warm to place directly against the skin. The warmers are inexpensive and work fast.
The heat can really make a difference for comfort and keep you from getting frostbite. Many boots, gloves and mittens have a pouch for the warmers.
Winter Travel
Make sure you have a good snow shovel (or two). You may also want a snow blower, or ice melt. If you are unable to clear your driveway and paths, make arrangements before winter for assistance.
Avoid unnecessary travel during severe weather. Inform someone of your travel plans and expected arrival time.
See:
What other winter preparedness preps do you make? Leave a comment and let us know.
This article is by Laurie Neverman. She has a BS in Math/Physics and MS in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in renewable energy. Laurie and her family live in a “concrete bunker” (ICF home) with a permaculture food forest, greenhouses, and three types of solar. They “walk the talk” of preparedness by living a more self-reliant lifestyle.
Originally posted in 2017, last updated in 2024.
On warming up for bed, my favorite strategy before homesteading was too take a long walk, which brought my circulation up and blew out any work stress from a busy day. Change to jammies and socks and hop into bed with very warm feet and hands! We now live where bears, wolves and cougars have first dibs on our trails, so my back up strategy is a simple yoga posture called the Triple Heater: First, get ready for bed and lie down when ready for sleep, with covers on, socks optional. Place one hand over your sternum with the fingers pointing up, the other hand placed with palm below the navel, fingers pointing towards your feet. Relax and breath in through your nose, and if you feel especially shivery or stressed, breath out slowly through pursed lips. You might find a more technical description of this technique in a yoga manual, but either way, your circulation will shift and make for a relaxed, warm night’s sleep. I must say, though, that homesteading brought with it wood stove heat, which is the most soothingly warming heat I have ever experienced. It is as if the light of the sun absorbed by our trees is gifted back to us.
A closing question for you,Laurie: We have in past years driven up to Ashland once or twice a month to load up at the artesian water spring outlet the city maintains for public use. If we can’t get there, we have been filtering melted snow for drinking and cooking purposes. The actual chemistry of this snow melt is very different than ground or spring water, and we have also been experimenting with filtering rainwater catchment this spring and summer. Do you have any comments or recommendations for switching off of municipal water supplies for an extended period? We have groundwater well water that is rich in iron oxide and at about 6.3 pH is somewhat irritating for my skin. Filtering it only goes so far and blows out our filters quite quickly. Now that issues with plastics are on the table, have you encountered suitable workarounds? Thanks!
Our well water is high in iron oxide, sediment, and sulfur, so we run all of it through a sediment filter to start. Then we also treat with a carbon filter and softener for the hot water lines. One option for drinking water is also run through reverse osmosis. We have a sediment filter only cold line to the kitchen sink, and we use that water in a gravity filter called The Water Machine for a second source of drinking water. It has a glass container, so the water can be structured in the filter.
There are shower filters that mount directly on the shower head for spot treatment.
Haven’t done much digging specifically about microplastics in water, but I would think that filters tight enough to stop bacteria would nab those, too.
Thanks! There are millions of new homestead households all over the world who could benefit from the careful thinking you have applied to getting the best out of you water! I have lived in urban areas where the water quality was genuinely nasty with added chemicals enhancing their substandard water supply! These points would make a great article for homesteaders and urban farmers alike. So far our level of tech is stacking water filled buckets into the food prep area with the periodic application of chlorine dioxide with some of getting run through our aging Berkey. I have seen an increasing stream of articles of microplastics. Few water filtering systems are equal to capturing much of it. Federal standards are slowly adjusting for media that can adequately test for it at the nano level, and it is there. We have a marine biologist friend who is very much on the alert for means to deal with these. He used to do environmental remediation, and science is just getting into the tech to deal with it. I can send you links to articles that look pertinent. Rashes come along with cranky livers and kidneys. I recently spotted an article describing initial research results indicating that mucilaginous foods like okra and fenugreek can trap and help eliminate tissues holding microplastics. Okra is in the mallow family, so that gives you a lot of potential trap crops. I will look for Water Machine info. I am wondering if silicon tubing might be less problematic than plastic tubing. Fortunately, Pyrex and Corningware are still available, though Pyrex is not longer made with boro-silicate glass. Most of my storage ware is either mason jars or thrift store glass, though I do have an aunt who has been using and treasuring her Pyrex storage dishes since before I was born. I hope my cousins have the good sense to regard those as heirlooms in addition to her silver and fine china! Ain’t seeing that from plastic!
Fleece sheets are very warm. Not usually cold to slip into, but if they are, they warm up more quickly than flannel, imho.
(LOL, Laurie, seems we all learn something new thru the years! )
If fleece works for you, that’s great. I have difficulties wearing or sleeping on synthetic fabrics (though pants are easier for me to tolerate than tops), so fleece is a no go for us. (Duncan says his legs actually start to hurt if he wears polyester pants. It’s gotten tougher to find clothes for him because so many things are polyester now.)
Very much the same for me. It seems like there are more fabric choices for women than men. I have found that I can tolerate nylon and elastane fairly well, as well as some of the breathable water resistant or waterproof fabrics if they are properly vented and I wear a cotton layer next to my skin. Vermont Country Store, a catalog company, stocks many non-synthetic garments, for men and women including their cotton long underwear tops and bottoms. They stock 100% cotton canvas twill pants for women that are extremely tough and comfortable as well as mosquito-proof, and a light weight, somewhat loosely woven cotton slacks with an elastic waist that are NOT mosquito proof. For guys, my husband just got three pairs of sturdy, 100% cotton Rustler jeans, 3 pairs for $14.00 each on Amazon. He is a big guy and is very pleased with the quality and durability. Amazon stocks them for men in 3 different cuts. My husband also wants me to pass on his great appreciation for the webbing suspenders you recommended. He wore out several pairs of the wimpy elastic strapped suspenders within weeks, and August’s favorite’s are holding up excellently over a long summer of very vigorous work!
My number one item is my down comforter. It’s so warm we usually have to kick it off even on cold nights.
In the winter I wear my wool socks around the house and my feet never get cold.
Another tip is to close the flue if you aren’t using the fireplace. This will keep your warm air from escaping up the chimney.
After my parent’s got us a Keurig for Christmas one year (very nice gift that rarely gets used), I decided to ask for more practical gifts. Last year, it was warm stuff. Two things I will reccomend here. I have no affiliation with either brand, these were gifted to me. You can google them or look for them on Amazon (use Laurie’s affiliate link if you’d like).
MukLuk slippers: Mine have a semihard thick plastic sole. They are ‘fleece’ lined and come above the ankle. I often wear them outside when it’s not too wet or the snow is well packed.
Heat Holder socks: They are Thick! (at least the style Mom got us). And MAN are they warm! I can’t wear them with my regular shoes but they fit perfect with the pair of cowboy boots I have that are a half size too big. ( if i am not mistaken, they do gloves and other items)
DH also got me a less expensive pair of Great Northwest slippers, they have a firmer sole than the MukLuk’s, and are just as warm and both pairs see regular use.
Hope this information is helpful!
I think I need to hunt down some of those MukLuk slippers in my size (I have big feet, so will likely need to get men’s slippers). My current slippers are warm, but they don’t come up the ankle. My pants ride up when I sit down, and then my ankles are cold.
I cannot stress the importance of having a fire extinguisher enough. We have supplement heated with kerosene for years (we also have Mr Buddy propane heaters). A week or so ago, I was multitasking after a long day of work. Lit the kerosene heater, got distracted, and turned the wick UP rather than down. Did you know when the wick is turned all the way up (at least on older models) it ‘locks’ the wick? We ended up removing the chimney, covered the wick with a pot lid, which did not extinguish the flame. Carried the unit outside to the driveway and had to hit it with the extinguisher to put it out. (Figured out after the fact that pushing in on the knob would allow the wick to be lowered, allowing the mechanism to close and extinguish the flame) Mind you, we’ve supplemented with kerosene for almost 20 years. Never ever had an issue. Always adjusted wick height without having to push the knob in. In hindsight, it was a stupid mistake. We did not panic, but never thought to push the knob in to re-engage the wick adjuster.
Takeaways:
Always have a fire extinguisher on hand. Period. Make sure it is ABC ‘rated/graded’ to cover ANY type of fire,
Don’t get complacent about your supplemental heat sources. Keep up with regular maintenance. Check them before you need them to ensure they are working properly. Refresh yourself on proper use before the cold sets in.
Sorry this was so long. If you got a chuckle out if it, that’s okay. I can laugh and facepalm myself about it now. But if anything, I hope you learn the importance of being prepared for the ‘stupid’ stuff that might happen too.
Thanks for sharing your story. It’s a good reminder that all it takes is one moment of absentmindedness, even for someone who is normally vigilant.