What home maintenance should you do heading into winter?
Short answer: 22 items, from bleed the radiators if you have them through to trim trees and branches near the house before storms. The complete Home Maintenance — Heading into Winter checklist is written out below — and the exact same 22 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Home Maintenance — Heading into Winter checklist — all 22 items
- Bleed the radiators if you have them
- Blower and charger
- Chain saw
- Check driveway and path lighting for dark mornings
- Check for damp or mould in wardrobes and corners
- Check the car's tyres and wipers before wet roads
- Check the hot water cylinder is insulated
- Check the roof cavity insulation is still in place
- Check the roof for loose or missing tiles
- Check torches and batteries still work (power cuts spike in storms)
- Check window seals and door draughts
- Clean out the gutters and downpipes
- Clean the extractor fans before condensation season
- Clear leaves from drains around the property
- Get the chimney swept if you have a wood burner
- Insulate exposed outdoor pipes against frost
- Reseal any cracked exterior window putty
- Service the dehumidifier
- Service the heat pump or fireplace
- Stock up on firewood, stacked and covered
- Test smoke alarms and replace batteries
- Trim trees and branches near the house before storms
Winter finds every weakness a house has been hiding: the draught under the door, the heat pump filter furred solid, the firewood ordered too late and delivered wet. By the first cold snap, the fix-it queue at every trade is weeks long.
This pre-winter list hits the heat, the water and the envelope: heating serviced and filters cleaned, firewood in and dry, draught stopping, gutters cleared before the storms, hot water and pipes checked, and the dehumidifier found and tested. Do it in autumn while the jobs are pleasant — winter charges extra for the same work.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "heat pump filter" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What home maintenance should you do heading into winter?
You need 22 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from bleed the radiators if you have them through to trim trees and branches near the house before storms — and the same 22 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=home%20maintenance%20-%20heading%20into%20winter opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Home Maintenance — Heading into Winter list (22 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.