As summer starts turning to autumn, it’s important to winterize your home. Cleaning gutters, raking leaves, putting up the garden hoses, and turning off outside faucets are all good habits. While you’re doing that, take a good look at your doors and windows, too. Doors and windows are obvious weak points in your home’s defense against the cold of winter and uncomfortable drafts. If your doors and windows can’t do their jobs effectively, not only is the interior of your home less homey, but heating costs will put a significant dent in your wallet.

All wood windows can last up to 100 years when maintained with a good coat of paint. Without that seal against rain, sun, and temperature changes, wood can and will degrade. While minor spots of rot can be renewed somewhat with penetrating liquid epoxy by the do-it-yourself homeowner, larger sections should be professionally replaced. If your sashes rattle and whistle in the wind, weather stripping along the edges to fill gaps is often all that is needed, and there is a variety of weather stripping products available that are very effective.

Windows with vinyl, fiberglass, or aluminum have a life span of about 20 years, although their sashes don’t generally hold up well. Repair holes or small rips with a silicone sealant. If the whole gasket needs replacing, however, then contact the manufacturer. Caulking seals water out and prevents internal damage if your windows have a wood core.

Check the glazing around the actual glass of your windows, too. The putty that holds the glass in place can crack and let heat escape, even if the window itself doesn’t feel loose. Repairing the glaze on windows will prolong their life and save you money in the long run.

While windows aren’t opened a lot during the winter months, doors are a different matter. Because doors, especially the primary portals to the home, get heavier use, damage to the jambs is more likely just from simple, daily use. For example, scratches in the wood from pets wanting in can scrape away the seal paint provides, and it will begin to rot. If your door jambs are starting to rot, consult a professional to see if the spots need replacing, or if they can be repaired with a resealing product.

If your doors are just loose, then weather stripping for them will improve their performance, without the expense of replacement. If the door in question already has weather seals, they will break down over time, ripping, bending, or compressing so much that gaps form. Most places that sell hardware have replacement weather stripping available in materials ranging from foam, felt, plastic, and metal. Weather stripping seals the gaps around the sides and top of your door where it meets the jamb, while along the bottom is the “sweep” that closes the gap between the door and threshold.

Also on the market for weather proofing your doors are seals that use silicon, which is both durable and stays tight as wood swells or shrinks from the weather.