Home Maintenance Tasks For October

Lifehacker's article, "All the Home Maintenance Tasks You Should Do in October," lists things to do before the onset of cold weather:

• Stow away or cover yard furniture
• Shut off outdoor spigots and sprinklers (and, I would add, detach any hoses connected to your spigots)
  
• Make sure that pipes near outdoor walls are insulated
  
• Test your sump pump and install leak detectors
• Check your porch and railings, including replacing broken or cracked boards and applying a water sealer
  
• And, from a comment to the article, make sure to cover your air conditioner

And although not mentioned in the article, I think it is a good idea to check smoke and CO2 detectors, inspect your fireplace and chimney (and have the chimney cleaned), make sure your furnace filters have been changed, and otherwise prepare for having the house sealed up during the winter months.