With the changing seasons bringing more time indoors, November is the month to prepare your home for colder weather. Keeping your house warm, cozy and safe for winter is easier if you get ahead of potential problems by doing some simple checks and chores now.

Here are all the maintenance tasks you should do in November.

Check your vents and crawl space for animals

As the weather gets colder, wildlife may be looking for a good place to shelter for the winter. If you have exposed vents or crawl space access, these can prove to be an inviting place for creatures. To keep them out, make sure you have ventilation screens in place and that crawl spaces or other exterior nooks and crannies are sealed or covered with sturdy metal mesh. This method helps defend against squirrels, raccoons, rats, mice, birds and bats.

Check your fire and carbon monoxide alarms

If you have wireless smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, you should replace the batteries once a year to make sure they are working properly, and now is a good time to do it. If you have already changed the batteries (maybe when you reset the clocks?), go ahead and test your hazard detection system to make sure it alerts you if there is smoke or dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the house. As people spend more time indoors during the colder months of the year, there can be an increased risk of fire when using heaters, lights and cooking, and keeping windows closed and sealed can increase the risk of carbon monoxide accumulating inside. Giving your detectors a once over can help reduce risk from these seasonal concerns.

Install weather protection

If you live in an older home, or if you have any windows or doors that aren’t well insulated, November is a good time to weatherproof problem areas. Start by inspecting the sealing strip around doors and windows. Check for leaks, broken or worn strips. If you find any gaps, you can use replacement weather stripping to seal any openings. If you have larger leaks around windows or doors, or older windows that let in too much air, you can also use a weather protection kit to temporarily seal your leaky openings with heat shrink plastic wrap. This basic weatherproofing will keep you warmer and help you save money on utility bills.

Gather winter weather supplies

If you live in an area that can get a lot of snow and ice in the winter, it’s time to stock up ice melts, spadesand roof rakes. Take a look at your snow removal tools and make sure they are in good condition before it’s time to use them. Changing gear before a storm can save you headaches during winter weather. Now is also a good time to store yours ice scraper, snow brushand snow chains in the trunk of your car. If you live in an area that receives heavy snowfall and ice, you should also leave a scraper and deicer in your garage or utility room so you can get to it if your vehicle is frozen.

Clean ovens and other crumb-catching appliances

Kitchen fires can be caused by toasters and ovens that have deposits of crumbs and other food particles. When the appliance heats up, leftover food also heats up, and if it gets hot enough, your appliance can catch fire. Because people tend to stay home and use their ovens more during the colder months – not to mention entertain more during the holiday season— ovens and toasters can get more exercise at this time of year. Making sure your appliances are safe in November could save you from disaster down the road.