DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
Daylight Savings Time generally ends the first Sunday in November. Meant to add an extra hour of sunlight after working hours, Daylight Savings Time has its proponents and its critics. The end of Daylight Savings Time though, is a great time to remind yourself about certain household tasks that we often forget to accomplish. Here are 7 important things you can do each time Daylight Savings ends.
MATTRESS/COUCH CUSHION FLIP
Mattresses will often wear in a particular pattern depending on the weight of the person sleeping on them. Take the time in early November to remind yourself to flip the mattress and even out the stress on the more used portions. Couch cushions that have the ability to be flipped to either side will also benefit from being flipped regularly to have a more uniform wear pattern.
AIR FILTERS
Air filters need to be regularly changed, but there is no alarm that rings when one gets filled to capacity. Use the clock change trigger to remind yourself to change out air filters in your home.
MEDICINE EXPIRATION DATES
Too often we only learn that a medicine has expired when we go to the medicine cabinet in need of that medicine. Schedule a regular check of your non-daily used medicines to coincide with the changing of your clock and you won’t be caught unprepared when you need medicine.
PANTRY CLEANOUT
To avoid the clutter of spices and dry food that have expired, make a point to use the end of Daylight Savings Time to check the expiration dates of items in your pantry. Keep an eye out for items that you no longer use or have become damaged in any way.
SMOKE DETECTOR BATTERIES
Perhaps the most used reminder in the United States for the end of Daylight Savings Time, changing the batteries in your smoke alarm is also the most urgent. This is more than a matter of a cluttered cupboard or an uneven mattress, this is a matter of life and death. Always make a plan to monitor batteries in all emergency alarms.
BATTERY OPERATED LIGHTS
It seems we hear about a natural disaster knocking out large power grids more and more often these days. It is very important to make sure that you have a battery operated light in several locations throughout your house. Often times homeowners have flashlights in one location in a drawer in the kitchen or the garage. However when the lights go out suddenly, finding those can be difficult in the dark. Consider several lights in different locations that are very bright and can be mounted for use during normal times and removed easily when the need for portable light arises. When an emergency strikes it is helpful to have a light that you can use without your hands, some thing that hangs or sticks yet also can be taken with you to walk throughout your house or property. Common areas where these types of lights are useful include under cabinets, in hallways, closets, attics and basements as well as in each bedroom.
While most of us think of the end of Daylight Savings time as an hour of extra sleep and darker nights earlier, with a little practice you can make preparedness part of your yearly clock-changing routine.
