Stuck Inside During the PDX Winter? Prep Your Home For Spring...
When the Portland, OR area experiences winter weather, it’s common for things to shut down to some extent. When we’re couped up in our homes during the winter there are some things we can do to prepare our homes for the spring- our favorite season of the year!
A good staple in any home-care routine at any time of the year is to make sure to check the smoke and co2 detectors in the home. Making sure these are working properly allows your mind to freely think about your other projects knowing you’re safe inside the home. Make sure to immediately replace any that aren’t working.
It’s not enough to clean out the lint trap in the dryer with every load of laundry. You also need to build into your seasonal home-care routine the cleaning of the WHOLE dryer vent to avoid a fire hazard.
Replace your air filters- make sure the air quality in your home stays high by regularly replacing your filters. This may also be a good time to grab a couple extra to avoid hoarding this precious resource during fire season late in the summer.
Time to de-clutter. Think of this as a pre-cursor to your spring cleaning later on. Go through your warm clothes first, and then winter clothes- which you’ll likely need for a few more weeks. There are plenty of places you can bring your clothes, toys and furniture:
a. If you have lightly used or new business attire, consider donating to Dress for Success Oregon (https://oregon.dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/donate/). This service helps folks find interview and work clothes, often one of the last obstacles in gaining employment.
b. Also consider donating to the re-thread program at Mainspring PDX . Please call to make sure your clothing can be accepted first.
c. Used bikes and gear can be donated to Portland Gear Hub. Please call if you have a large drop-off.
d. Consider donating other outdoor gear, warm clothes, personal hygiene items and luggage to Rose Haven.
Have a safe and warm winter, and we’ll see you in the spring Portland!
