Winter home and garden checklist

Feeling a little chilly? Time to pop up from that cozy couch and work up a sweat puttering around the house. You'll be glad you did — winter really can pack a wallop. Here's where to start:

Home

• Use less, pay less: Your winter utility bills are likely to be extra scary this year. You can cut energy costs easily by repairing leaky faucets and by lowering the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees. Installing a programmable thermostat, low-flow showerheads and faucet-flow restrictors also will help.

• Pipe up: Insulate pipes that pass through unheated areas, like your crawl space, attic and garage.

• A plug for safety: Check your Inflatable Frosty and other electrical holiday decorations for frayed wires or loose connections. Do not overload outlets, extension cords or surge protectors.

• Flue precautions: If you still haven't tackled fireplace maintenance, you really can't put it off any longer. Have a professional clean your flue liners to prevent creosote buildup. Wood-burning fireplaces and stoves should be inspected annually and cleaned and repaired as required. Consider a chimney cap to keep out water, debris and critters.

• Point and squirt: In this season of toasty fireplaces and overloaded outlets (see above!), make sure your fire extinguishers are easily accessible — and that everyone in your home knows how to use them.

• Appliance applications: Clean your clothes dryer's exhaust duct and the space under the dryer to prevent lint from accumulating and to decrease the risk of fire. Inspect your washing-machine hoses and replace those that show signs of leaking or bursting (consider burst-proof hoses wrapped in mesh).

• Draft dodging: If you're experiencing chilly drafts (and we don't mean Budweisers), caulk, seal or weatherstrip to keep that cold air outdoors.

• Take stock of assets: No matter where you call home, you need a thorough inventory of its contents.

Take one at the beginning of each year, after you've hauled in even more stuff, and it can become part of your post-holiday routine.

If your home is ever robbed or damaged, you'll be glad you did.

Take a pen and camera from room to room — don't forget closets, pantries, attics, basements and garages — and make a written and photographic record of everything you own.

Sound overwhelming? You can hire someone to do it, or buy do-it-yourself asset-tracking software to streamline the process (the Curatorial Management System is about $80 at www.visnulimited.com).

Garden

• Pruned and pretty: Before the new year, prune evergreen trees and shrubs, removing dead branches or tidying from storm damage. Use healthy trimmings for decorations.

• Keep moving: If the December weather's mild and above freezing, you still can transplant trees and shrubs.

• Shake it: If we get more snow — and it sticks — gently shake it free of shrub and tree branches.

• Sow some seeds: In early February, start cool spring crops (broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower) indoors under a fluorescent shop light (but move them into a cold frame at the end of the month).

• Bring out the bare roots: On mild late-February days, plant bare-root roses and fruit trees. Prune your roses once the forsythia blooms.

Sources: www.homeconnections.com; www.travelers.com; DIY Network; The Tennessean; www.about.com; www.homemaintenanceorg.com; Ask the Expert columnist Darrell Hay; garden expert Mary Robson, retired area horticulture agent for Washington State University/King County Cooperative Extension.

Compiled by Sandy Dunham, Seattle Times desk editor