Safety Guide for Fall

Turning leaves and cooler days mean it’s time to bundle up in sweaters and sip pumpkin spice lattes. It’s also the time of year you need to get your home, yard and family ready for the coming winter. To enjoy this cozy season free from worry, follow our autumn home safety tips.

You can also check out our home safety and maintenance lists for September, October, and November.

After a season of backyard cookouts, swimming, hopscotch and bike riding, it’s time to tuck everything away and get your yard ready for the changing weather. Here’s all you need to do to keep everyone safe and sound as summer gives way to fall.

Bright foliage is the most obvious sign of the approaching fall season—but those golden and crimson piles can harbor hidden dangers. Wet leaves can make walkways slippery and promote the growth of mold in your yard.

Regularly rake up fallen leaves to keep your driveway and sidewalks clear, and mulch raked leaves or dispose of them in bags according to your city’s requirements. Warn children to stay out of leaf piles—especially those along curbs because kids could trip or sprain an ankle—and supervise all leaf play.

Getting the pool ready for cooler temperatures can be a chore. You need to lower the water level and balance its chemistry to prevent against freezing—otherwise, the water may expand and either crack surrounding cement or overflow. That can cause a slippery layer of ice to cover the sidewalk.

Make sure to also winterize the plumbing, safely store all pool accessories and cover up your pool.

Your pool cover needs to be properly secured and fit tightly—there should be no holes or gaps where leaves and other debris could get in. Avoid solid pool covers. They're a safety hazard and require pumps to remove rainwater and melted snow.

From pruning trees to cleaning out rain gutters, many fall maintenance activities require ladders. Always be sure to wear appropriate footwear, position the ladder on a flat surface, and have someone around to spot you. Even the most seasoned handyman can have a mishap, and you stand a better chance of mitigating potential injury if someone is around to offer help.

Not all autumn maintenance happens outside. As you prepare to spend more time indoors, it’s important to check that your fireplace and furnace are in good repair—and that you know what to do in a house fire in case one does happen.

Nothing’s better than gathering around a crackling fire. Prepare for cozy upcoming nights by ensuring your fireplace is free of soot, creosote buildup and potential bird nests.

You can check your fireplace yourself, but a safer option is to call a professional chimney sweep. Once you start using your fireplace, make sure you regularly remove ashes/debris and install a screen to keep sparks from escaping.

Read our full guide to fireplace safety.

Just like people, furnaces need annual checkups. Have a professional inspect your furnace in the fall to ensure that everything works properly. Maintenance issues could potentially present hazards to your family and home.

You should also regularly replace the air filters in your furnace to improve indoor air quality and the furnace's efficiency.

Furnaces, fireplaces and scented candles are MVPs all autumn long, which means you need smoke alarms that are armed and ready. Replace batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

Make this a habit each year when you turn the clock back for daylight savings time. If you live in a time zone without daylight savings, make this a must-do task on the first day of autumn.

It’s easy to turn the garage into a depository of all the things you plan to do later. There’s no time like the changing of the season to clean up and clear out what could become dangerous clutter.

Fall is also a great time for upgrades. Consider adding a few accessories to keep thieves out of your garage.

Stacks of old magazines and newspapers in your garage are fire hazards waiting to happen. Gather these up and drop them off in a recycling bin. If you need to hold on to some old papers, store them in a plastic or metal storage bin—not a cardboard box—away from heaters, furnaces and other heat-producing appliances.

Leftover chemicals also tend to pile up in the garage. Check with your local Environmental Protection Agency branch to find out the proper way to dispose of hazardous chemicals like pesticides, fuels and cleaning supplies.

If you have flammable or poisonous materials that you need, store them out of reach of children, in clearly marked containers, and away from your furnace and water heater.

All those valuable power tools and gardening goodies that live in your shed may be retired for winter, but one last sweep will set them up for safe and clean winter hibernation. Be sure to add locks and secure your shed before the first snow hits.

Halloween and Thanksgiving are the two biggest holidays during autumn. While both are tons of fun, there are a few safety tips to keep in mind whether you’re carving a pumpkin or a turkey.

Nothing says fall like a friendly jack-o-lantern on your front porch. If you and your kids decide to carve pumpkins this October, follow a few basic pumpkin-carving tips to avoid accidents.

Be sure to supervise your little ones if they’re using a knife this year and don’t be afraid to take over for those tricky corners.

The best part is drying out the seeds and roasting them when you’re done. Yum!

As boys and ghouls dress up for Halloween, there are a few safety measures you can take to keep your little monsters safe during trick-or-treating.

Be sure to stick to a familiar route in your neighborhood and walk with a group if you can. Avoid trick-or-treating after dark, especially if your kids are wearing dark costumes. Add reflective tape to your kids’ costumes to make them extra visible, especially if they’re going door to door with their friends.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of common accidents that can happen on Halloween night. Check out our Halloween guide to learn what they are and how to avoid them.

Whether you’re welcoming family or hitting the road to visit them, Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy good food and good company. But too many cooks in the kitchen can be dangerous. Be sure to practice safe cooking and take measures to keep your home safe if you’re leaving town for the holiday.

Autumn is a great time to gather with family and friends to enjoy the colors of the season or warm up inside with a nice fire and a cup of cocoa. Follow these fall tips to make sure you can safely enjoy all the perks of this special season.

• September Home Safety and Maintenance Guide
• October Home Safety and Maintenance Guide
• November Home Safety and Maintenance Guide
• Winter Home Safety Guide