Fall Cleaning Checklist

Introduction

During the fall, the air gets crisp, the leaves litter the floor, and the air gets cooler. For some it is their favourite season. The order of the day in most homes is spring cleaning, with the good weather and soft breezes. Have you ever heard of fall cleaning, though? Some will say it is probably an essential way to have a healthier winter. With the drop in temperature causing you to turn on heating, your clothing at home can become a nesting haven for the germs, bacteria, and mould. This article will provide you with relatively simple steps to keep your home germ free and of course, bug free. After the frenzy of spring cleaning all those months ago, we tend to forget that our homes might need another deep clean. We must not forget to focus our attention on the nooks and crannies during fall.

Fall Cleaning Checklist

Fall cleaning may even be more important than the much hailed spring cleaning. Though that is open to debate, of course. The main problem in winter homes is the passing of germs due to the little to no ventilation and warm moist air. This is a dream condition for many pathogenic agents like bacteria. Before you start anything, make sure to take inventory. Check your cleaning supplies to confirm if you have all the products you need for the surfaces you plan on cleaning. With that said, here is a simple list for your fall cleaning. It would be systematic, going from room to room and then finally culminating outside the house;

Bedrooms

• De-clutter all the closets, pick out season appropriate clothing
• Wipe down the windowsills and clean the glass, make sure to get rid of all the pesky dust
• Rotate the mattress; this may not be necessary but you may find that it helps you sleep more comfortably at night. Vacuum the flipped mattress thoroughly.
• Dry-clean all the pillows, mattress pads, covers, blankets, slipcovers and bedding. Most people don’t know that keeping a duvet clean is easier that they think, especially if they fit into your washing machine at home. Some of the best washable duvets can be dried as quickly and easily as your bed linens. You can even have them on your bed by the end of the day

Kitchen

• Clean the refrigerator
• Throw out your expired food
• Defrost the freezer and clean it up
• Check your pantry for ingredient freshness
• Clean the floor under your refrigerator

Bathrooms

• Scrub the walls
• Clean the shower head
• Stock up on your toiletries
• Replace your toothbrushes (three months, remember?)
• Wash the shower curtain

Living Room

• Clean window sills and blinds
• Move your sofas and chairs to clean underneath
• Dust down shelves
• Clear cobwebs and settled dust
• Clean your ceiling fan

Outside House

Now that inside the house is clean, its time to move outside. Before you do that though, you need to apply finishing touches to give the interior that extra sparkle that we love so much.

• Clean your carpets; take a look at your upholstery. It would most likely benefit from a tune up. You can rent a carpet cleaner or you can just get a specialist to come in and do the work. This task will get all the sand or dirt you accumulated during the summer out of your carpet.
• Wash the windows
• Inventory your closet
• Declutter your attic and basement; during the winter you will probably spend many months hibernating indoors. Making your spaces as clean as possible will make this time stress-free. You can even get caught up in nostalgia as you look through those old pictures from the yesteryears. Sort through what you would want to keep. If you find any cool stuff you do not need anymore, you can donate it to your local charity, or even sell it online for a little extra money.

When you have done that, it would be time to go outside, get yourself ready! When cleaning outside, you may come across large projects that would take more than a day to complete. To do this well, you need to be organized. First decide how you want the schedule to look like. Make sure you are honest to yourself about what you would be able to do. Also plan out the time for such tasks. Planning what you want to do beforehand will help expedite the whole process.

If you live with other people, this cleaning doesn’t solely have to be your responsibility. You can decide to delegate cumbersome tasks to other members of the household. It is much better than breaking your back alone. Remember this is deep cleaning, as opposed to regular cleaning which you do on an already established routine. You have to cover the areas which you won’t traditionally cover during a regular cleaning. For cleaning outdoors, here is your checklist;

• Clean the gutters and downspouts; if your gutters are clogged it can cause water to pool on your roof. This is a nesting ground for termites, which may lead to leaks. This is especially valid during the rain or snow season, when the gutters are forced to work in overdrive, to the best of their capacity. Clear the accumulated debris. You can also call a professional to do the gutter cleaning for you.
• Set rodent traps; you can also do that inside the house
• Clear any debris in your yard.
• Replace your outdoor bulbs if it is needed
• Drain and store water hoses
• Touch up any areas on the walls outside your house that need painting
• Wash the outside of the windows with dish soap
• Empty your bins

Well done. At this point, most of your house would be clean and organized. That is if you haven’t skimped out on any of the tasks. The summer is almost over and it is time to face the winter. Hopefully, you will be fully prepared with a thoroughly done fall cleaning. You can go ahead and congratulate yourself now. You certainly deserve some accolades. Bye for now!