Makely’s Fall Quiz

Can you believe that Fall has already arrived? It seems like just yesterday we were splashing around in the pool and eating popsicles in the back yard. Now, my days are filled with homework, football and slow cooker recipes.

Even though you may be ready for Fall, your home may not be.  In order to test your home’s readiness, I put together a little Fall quiz for you.

Makely’s Fall Quiz

Fall has arrived! What’s the first thing you do:
A. Break out the pumpkin scented candles, bake pumpkin baked goods, and drink pumpkin spice lattes. All pumpkin, all the time.
B. Check to make sure that your kids’ have enough pairs of jeans so that you only have to do laundry once a week.
C. Pull up a fall maintenance home checklist on your computer so that you can prepare for the cooler months.

You hear that fall is the time to stock up on “winter gear.” To you, that means:
A. Christmas decor is on sale!
B. Your kids will love the new jackets and snow boots you bought for them.
C. It’s time to grab sidewalk salt and good shovels – you never know when the season’s first snowfall will arrive.

When the clocks “fall back” in the fall, you:
A. Celebrate having an extra hour to snuggle under your cozy down comforter.
B. Remark that it will take months for your kids to adjust to the change of the clocks.
C. Know that you need to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and change their batteries.

Ragweed is on it’s way. You:
A. Wonder if you can make an awesome wreath out of it for your front door.
B. Stock up on tissue and allergy medication for your family.
C. Replace your HVAC filter with a Filtrete Ultra Allergen Reduction Filter (MPR 1500) to help capture allergen particles in your home.

It’s getting a little too chilly to sit on your back porch. You:
A. Start knitting blankets to match your porch furniture. Cold weather just means another project!
B. Put gloves and scarves on your kids – they NEED to be outside to burn off some energy.
C. Store your outdoor furniture and cushions on the garage so that they don’t get damaged in the elements.

The temperatures have dropped enough that it’s time to turn on the heating system. What happens in your house?
A. You move your plants away from the heating vents so that the warm air doesn’t dry them out.
B. You wonder what that burning smell is and check to see that the kids haven’t set something on fire.
C. Call your local HVAC company and have the furnace inspected or serviced.

If you answered mostly As, you are a Mini Martha Stewart.  You are ready for all the decorating and crafting options that the season has to offer.  If you answered mostly Bs, you are Mother of the Year.  You are ready to make sure that your family is well taken care of in these cooler months.  If you answered mostly Cs, you are a Home Maintenance Diva.  Your largest investment takes a high priority, and you are preparing it to meet the coming winter months.

So, Mini Martha Stewarts and Mothers of the Year – you guys are doing awesome things!  But there are a few easy ways to earn your status as a Home Maintenance Diva, too.  Since I live in a warm climate without a real Fall season, I focus my home maintenance efforts on the things that directly impact my family.  We always check our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.  We go through checklists to make sure we are taking care of things like storing our garden hoses and bringing in plants that won’t survive a frost.

And we always change our HVAC filters to one that will help capture large airborne particles like dust, pollen and mold spores from passing through the filter.  The Fall mold and ragweed makes us suffer every year.  We use the Filtrete Healthy Living Ultra Allergen Reduction Filter (MPR 1500), since it is 90% effective at capturing particles like dust, pollen and mold spores from the air passing through the filter.  It’s a 2 minute task, so it’s totally worth doing.  I also always use my vacuum attachment to clean the grate that goes over the HVAC intake.  Ours are always really dirty by the time it is time to change the filter.

So, tell me – are you an A, a B or a C?

This post has been sponsored by Filtrete as a part of the Filtrete Blogger Ambassador program.  I was compensated for this post.  All opinions expressed and products recommended are my own.