I guess that’s what I get for procrastinating.

But can you blame me? Fall is such a special time of year. The leaves are beautiful, Halloween is a blast, and glorious holiday feasts are nearly upon us.

You know what’s not so great?

Winter.

Holiday splendor notwithstanding, why would anyone want to acknowledge the impending chill on the horizon, just waiting to shorten our days, freeze our streets and, if we’re not careful, damage our pipes, sprinklers and yards?

Well, because it’s the smart thing to do.

Preparing your homes for winter is crucial to preventing unnecessary water loss and expensive damages come springtime. Never fear, we’re here to help with a handy dandy to-do list.

Behold, the tips:

1. Protect those pipes. When it gets chilly, pipes that are particularly close to the outside of your house can freeze and even burst. Make sure everyone in the house knows where the water shutoff valve is, and knows how to use it. It’s also important to insulate pipes closest to exterior walls or in unheated basements to keep them from freezing.
2. Winterize those sprinklers. You can give your lawn a break from water during the winter, which means you can turn off and drain your sprinkler system. This helps prevent leaks in the spring. If you use a regular ol’ outdoor spigot and hose to water your lawn, make sure to disconnect any hoses.
3. Love those landscapes. It’s a good idea to get in one final mow in the fall (and don’t forget to aerate). When you mow, consider leaving off the bag and turning your leaves into mulch. It’ll compost into the soil and give your yard some tasty nutrients.
4. Empty those rain barrels. If you jumped in line to grab a couple 55-gallon rain barrels as soon as they were legal, you’d better make sure you empty any residual water before temperatures get too cold. You could do some serious damage to those things.

As you can tell by my harrowing experience, taking these water-saving measures may not always go as planned. Just make sure you hang in there, get the job done and, if you see three small children waiting in the wings to haunt your dreams … RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!