Updated on Sep. 19, 2024
There’s more to winterizing than keeping your heating bill low. We spoke to experts about the best products to protect your home from cold-weather damage.
Sponsored By: Lowe's
This piece was created in partnership with Lowe's, your go-to home improvement store for appliances, gardening supplies, tools and hardware.
Winter is around the corner, which means it’s time to stock up on winterization essentials if you don’t want to get stuck winterizing your home in a weekend. After all, you never know when your local hardware store will run out of things like pet-safe ice melt when you need it most. Gathering cold-weather supplies by shopping online before winter storms hit is a smart move for you and your family.
We’ve partnered with Lowe’s to bring you the eight winterization essentials home improvement experts recommend most. Don’t wait for the roads to freeze—stock up now!
When thinking about winterization essentials for your home, ice melt probably comes to mind. Roof de-icing kits, on the other hand, might not be something you’ve even heard of. If icicles tend to form at your eaves and you’ve done all the insulating you can, installing a deicing cable helps prevent ice dams, or blockages that stop water from flowing off the roof and redirect it to places it shouldn’t go.
The EasyHeat ADKS roof and gutter de-icing kit installs above the overhang or into gutters and downspouts to melt ice before it forms. That creates a clear and open path for melting water to drain off of your roof. The de-icing cable plugs into a standard three-wire grounded outlet.
Your roof isn’t the only place you’ll have to worry about water freezing should a winter storm head your way. Water pipes in chilly basements or unheated crawl spaces are vulnerable to freezing when temperatures plummet. Unfortunately, sometimes pipe insulation alone isn’t enough to ensure your pipes are safe.
Thankfully, EasyHeat at Lowe’s also makes heating cables to prevent pipes from freezing. The EasyHeat Pipe Heat Cable helps prevent pipes from freezing, bursting and causing thousands of dollars of damage—and it only takes a matter of minutes to install along the affected pipe. The rugged cables are constructed with XLPE inner insulation, continuous ground braid and a weather-resistant PVC outer jacket. Monitoring and operating the cables couldn’t be easier thanks to a built-in energy-saving thermostat and power indicator light.
In the coldest climates, winterizing your home means taking every step possible, including covering your outdoor faucets. Even if you have winterization essentials like frost-free sillcocks, it’s cheap insurance to pop an insulated cover like this one from Polar Cap over hose bibs. They only cost a few bucks and take seconds to install.
The hard plastic shell on the Polar Cap cover is designed to fit on a standard hose bib and fit flush against the structure. It’s also made to be more durable and last longer than a foam cap, so you should be able to use it winter after winter.
Chances are, you’ll leave your windows shut during the winter. However, if you live in an area that sees extreme weather, you know that shutting the windows doesn’t always prevent a draft or moisture from entering. To seal your windows further, apply GE Clear Silicone Caulk where the sash meets the frame.
Looking for a white silicone caulk? Our Senior Digital Editor Ethan O’Donnell tested the GE Re-New Silicone Caulk, which adheres to existing 100% silicone sealants and offers the same properties as ordinary silicone.
Even a small gap under a door creates an uncomfortable draft. A door sweep puts the squeeze on that breeze. The M-D Weatherstrip features a U-shaped, slide-on design with multiple vinyl fins for protection from drafts, moisture, dust and insects. Weatherstripping exterior doors saves you money on energy by keeping the heat from escaping. It also helps keep bugs and other pests outside.
The M-D Weatherstrip, available at Lowe’s, is easy to install and does not require any tools. All you have to do is cut it to the desired length before sliding it onto the door.
Keep your house warm this winter with the addition of other winterization essentials like rugs, tin foil (behind the radiator), duct booster fans and more.
A well-made snow blower is surely a winterization essential, and the Snow Joe Cordless Snow Blower topped our list of the best cordless snow blowers. Its heavy-duty, rubber-tipped steel auger clears paths 18 inches wide and 10 inches deep. The machine features a powerful brushless motor that removes up to 10 tons of snow per charge. Plus, it runs on batteries instead of gas, which helps eliminate carbon emissions.
We tested the Snow Joe blower in Minnesota’s harsh winter conditions and found it worked well on heavy and wet snow and had plenty of power. The machine was lightweight, easy to maneuver, sturdy and easily cleared the snow.
Nothing’s worse than hightailing it to the store to get ice melt for your driveway only to find that it’s sold out once you get there. Stock up on Road Runner Ice Melt, a popular choice among Lowe’s shoppers, to help keep your driveway and walkways safe this winter.
As snow piles up on your roof, it acts like an insulator, trapping the heat radiating from the attic. This warmth melts the snowpack’s underside, creating a layer of water that can cause roof damage.
Thankfully, removing that snow from the roof reduces the risk of ice dams forming. One of the best ways to prevent snow from damaging your roof is by regularly removing it with a quality telescoping snow rake like the True Temper Roof Rake.
Winterizing involves prepping parts of your house for temperature extremes to mitigate damage caused by freezing water. It includes preparing your pipes, doors and windows, roof, driveway and walkways, outdoor spigots and more for freezing temperatures.
Lowe’s has a list of helpful ways to winterize your home. There, you can find tips for weather-stripping your doors and windows, checking your fireplace, cleaning the gutters and more. Plus, you can shop the best products for winterizing your home at Lowe’s.
For this piece, we consulted three experts about which products are must-haves when it comes to winterizing your home. We gathered insights from former Family Handyman Deputy Editor and home maintenance expert Brad Holden, Family Handyman Digital Editor Ethan O’Donnell, and Editor of Snow Magazine Mike Zawacki. Together, the three of them provided insight that helped Shopping Editor Mary Henn select the best Lowe’s products to winterize your home. She also sifted through reviews and testing notes for each product before recommending them.
Sponsored
