Even though the term “spring cleaning” is far more well known, fall cleaning is an important part of preparing to welcome colder weather. After all, once winter rolls around, you will likely be spending far more time indoors. Doing deep cleaning now will ensure winter is more comfortable for everyone. If you want your home to be ready both inside and out, here is the ultimate fall cleaning checklist.
Interior
Organize Storage Spaces
Everyday life has a way of marring even the neatest storage spaces—from our kitchen cupboards to our bedroom closets. Fall cleaning is the perfect chance to bring storage spaces back from the chaotic brink. Go through the closet, put away the summer clothes, move up the cold-weather clothes, and get a donation bag ready for what you don’t use. Reorganize the Tupperware cupboard and get rid of all the bottomless lids. You may even consider tackling big projects like the basement or attic.
Dust & Wipe Down Surfaces
Most of us do some form of surface cleaning throughout the year, but it’s good to tackle the surfaces that don’t normally get touched, such as your baseboards, the corners of the rooms, and the top of tall furniture. Any flat surface collects dust that can aggravate allergies and increase the risk of illness which is the last thing you want during the winter.
Clean and Replace Linens
Statistically, many of us wash our sheets infrequently, and our comforters and pillows even less. It’s a good time to give all your linens a freshening up. This will make sure that warm weather blankets and sheets are ready to go into storage and cold weather blankets and flannel sheets are ready to go onto beds.
Exterior
Store Outdoor Furniture
Patio furniture can become damaged in extreme cold, so it’s important to make sure it’s stored properly. This will depend on the type of furniture; most furniture should be cleaned before being stored. Some, items such as wood and metal furniture, can simply be kept under a tarp, while others, such as whicker and plastic, should be stored in a shed. Cloth cushions should be kept inside.
Clean Gutters
Winter is the time of year when many homes are at the greatest risk of roof damage, and one of the best ways of avoiding this is making sure your gutters are cleaned. Since autumn leaves create a hazard to properly functioning gutters, autumn is an especially crucial time of year for gutter cleaning.
Freshen Up Your Car
Although your car isn’t technically part of your house, most Americans spend a large portion of their time in the car and a small portion of their energy cleaning it. As such, cars can become one of the germiest places that we regularly interact with. Since winter is the season of sniffles, it pays to add cleaning your car interior to your fall cleaning checklist.
