We spend a lot of time talking about buying and selling homes in Kansas City. But homeownership has another part that’s just as important: protecting what you’ve already built.

October gives us two great reminders. It’s Fire Prevention Month and Energy Awareness Month, and both arrive at exactly the right time in Kansas City, just as furnaces, fireplaces and cooler temperatures begin their annual return.

The good news? Protecting your home doesn’t have to mean an enormous fall to-do list.

We’ve narrowed it down to eight things worth checking this month that you can easily do in a weekend.

🔥 Start With Fire Safety

As we begin spending more time indoors and using heating equipment again, October is a smart time to revisit the basics.

1. Test Your Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detectors

The beginning and end of Daylight Saving Time is always a great calendar reminder that you should test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, twice a year. Press the test button on every detector in your home and replace batteries when needed. Don’t forget to check the age of the detectors themselves; they aren’t designed to last forever.

2. Find Your Fire Extinguishers

Notice we said find them. If you can’t immediately remember where yours is, that’s worth fixing.

Make sure extinguishers are accessible, properly charged and located where you might actually need them. Then make sure everyone in your household knows where they are and how to use them! Remember, if your kids are old enough to cook, they’re old enough to know how to use the fire extinguisher. Cooking fires are the number one source of home fires.

3. Don’t Forget the Dryer Vent

Cleaning the lint screen after each load is important, but lint can also accumulate in the dryer vent and ductwork.

Check the vent to the exterior for good airflow and consider professional cleaning if it’s been a while. If you like DIY, here is a good youtube tutorial: https://youtu.be/tcSYoBnK6No?si=IP7aHgrwWN0lMeaT

4. Get the Fireplace Ready

There’s nothing better than the first fire on a chilly Kansas City night unless that fire comes with a chimney problem.

Although Spring is the best time to inspect a chimney (after burning season), if you’re using your fireplace regularly, it’s best to inspect it yearly. If it’s been several years since you’ve inspected your fireplace, inspect it now before fireplace season begins. This might be best left to the pros because failure to clean creosote buildup from solid-fueled heating and chimneys is the leading factor chimney fires are the second leading cause of house fires.

⚡ Then Protect Your Energy Dollars

Preparing your house for colder weather isn’t only about comfort. A few simple checks can help your heating system work more efficiently and keep conditioned air where it belongs, inside your home.

5. Give Your Furnace a Fresh Start

Change the furnace filter and consider scheduling your fall HVAC service before your system begins working overtime.

6. Hunt Down the Drafts

Check around exterior doors and windows for worn or missing weatherstripping. These are relatively inexpensive fixes that can make a noticeable difference in comfort.

7. Reset Your Thermostat

Your summer settings probably aren’t right for October. Check your thermostat batteries and adjust your heating schedule around the times you’re actually home. We’ve even checked with Evergy and Kansas Gas to set our thermostat and usage around their peak and non-peak hours when possible.

8. Flip That Little Switch on Your Ceiling Fan

Here’s one homeowners often forget.

During heating season, ceiling fans can generally be set to rotate clockwise at a low speed. This helps redistribute warm air that naturally rises toward the ceiling.

Protect What You’ve Built

Homeownership isn’t just about what your home is worth. It’s about taking care of the place where life happens and protecting the investment you’ve worked hard to build.

We’ve made that a little easier with this October Home Protection Checklist. Save it, check off the eight items – and you’re done for the month.

And if one of those checks turns into “Who do I call for this?”, call us.

After nearly 30 years helping Kansas City homeowners, we’ve built quite a list of trusted local resources. Connecting you with them is just another way we can be your real estate resource long after closing.