What you need to know to winter-proof your home 

Here are just a few hacks to keep the winter wolf at least off the back doorstep.

SHOVEL SAVVY

When it snows (Irish hysteria in the making), smear vegetable oil on the back and face of your shovelhead. This will stop the snow and ice clumping on the blade, leaving it always ready for use.

Digging clay soils on a dry day when the ground is not sodden, will allow frost to break up clumps — improving its texture naturally. The fancy, horticultural word is chelating. To keep your windscreen clear, cover it with a magnetic screen. Prices range from €6, from suppliers including winparts.ie.

COVER UP

If you use your outside tap at all, insulate it with a simple slip-on foam cover. Apollo and Kingfisher offer cloche-like covers, from €6.50 at any good DIY outlet, that just slide up onto the wall on a zip tie.

In a pinch, a hoodie of glass wool and foil to the outside secured with twine with work in a cold snap.

If your outside pipes keep freezing, they are probably not buried deep enough or insulated where they rise.

WINDOW WRAP

A draughty window defying your insulation efforts? Use a film kit or a simple tape-up with bubble wrap. The Irish firm Exitex developed its heat shrink product for a familiar Irish situation — oddly shaped, failing, single-glazed windows with a crushing, cold winter forecast.

A simple job, all you need are a sized kit, clean windows and a hairdryer. From €6 for 1.8m (1.5m x 1.25m) with double-sided fixing tape, spare tape €3.95 a roll, multiple suppliers. Ensure your curtains are covering the reveal as fully as possible without shrouding any radiator.

FOR THE BIRDS

To stop your birdbath from freezing, line it with polythene and lift the ice out in one swoop. The RSPB suggests a light ball floating in the water will be moved by even a gentle breeze, and will keep a small amount of water ice-free.

Darker-coloured surfaces set in brighter positions will take more heat in from the sun and are less likely to freeze by day. Birdseed can be expensive; choose no-spill feeders and better mixtures are less likely to be rejected and sprout. Quality fat balls with seeds included are often very well-priced when bought by the bucket.

HEAT UP

BER low? There’s a certain level of what is termed passive solar gain through all but the most efficient windows. Before you leave for work in the morning, pull the curtains, blinds and any sheers right back to let that gentle centigrade in. When warming the air and hard surfaces, it will lift the temperature even with the heating off. If your conservatory is secure, the internal connecting door can act as a heat shunt with the adjoining rooms. Adjust your thermostat and timer to optimise the efficiency of your heating system.

LEAVE IT

Rather than fighting with the deluge of leaves over winter, make leaf mould or buy a composter to be ready to dress those beds in spring while keeping vermin at bay. Add suitable domestic, organic (brown bin) waste to the mix for a crumbly, nutrient-rich gold you can even dilute with water for compost “tea”.

You might find the extra step of wormeries and Bokashi compost-making interesting as you develop your skills with aerobic microbiology. Bell-shaped composters (220l) with bottom sliding outlets from €50.

ASH TRICK

Use your wood ashes (cooled) to clean the glass of your wood stove. Simply dip a slightly damp rag in the ashes and rub them over the interior face of the door glazing or panels in a circular motion.

Wood with moisture of more than 18% is not an efficient fuel and releases a lot of unhealthy biomass — into the room too.

If you’re using multiple suppliers or seasoning your own, pick up a moisture meter with a microprocessor bar-reader picking up 3%-40%; from €25 for the SmartBurn or Brennenstuhl 1298680 Moisture Detector, various suppliers.

RIGHT MOVES

Move any heavy furnishings like sofas off the surface of the radiator to allow heat to convect well (it’s counter-intuitive but radiators work by largely convecting heat).

For radiators on any cool external walls, insulated foil blankets are cheap and effective at sending more of that valuable heat back into the room, rather than letting it heat your masonry. Simply slip into position and tape down.

You'll find these at Woodies DIY. 

Ensure your CO and smoke alarm are working on a fresh battery this weekend.

MOUSE ALERT

Unfriend mice by blocking holes and around conduits with caulk, spray foams and balled steel wool. Check your housekeeping, and fasten dry foods into tins.

If you’ve found electronic devices hit and miss, and don’t want to kill-trap, try balls of cotton wool soaked in oil of cayenne pepper, pepper or cloves.

You can also try polite little muslin bags of these ingredients (dry) set by traffic areas (look for tea leaf-like droppings).

If you can stand it, leave small tubs of your cat’s used litter by outdoor highways; smarter mice may be put off exploring any further.

MAKE TRACKS

Stop muck in its tracks by concentrating your feverish cleaning efforts at the entrance doors. Thick mats outside and water-absorbent mats inside will slough off the petrochemical and organic muck inevitable during the colder, wetter months. 

Any grot, once airborne can become particulate matter that creates dust and coughs. Shoes and boots are heftier in winter and grind any dirt carried inside into your flooring; try a boot mat in rubber to encourage the family to travel indoors in socks. Ikea does one under the delightful title of Baggmuck, but they are a staple at any home and garden outlet.