By Eliza • 3 Comments
Spring cleaning feels so great! The weather is warming up and you can air out your house and get everything fresh. Turns out you can fall clean too, which is great for people like me who love the accomplishment of knocking tough tasks off my list a couple times each year. Are you the same way? Instead of waiting for spring, make it a habit to clean these things every fall and your house will be the cleanest one on the block. Hooray!
This is a big job and it should be done a couple of times each year, rather than just when spring comes. Wait for a cloudy day and use a simple window cleaner with a drop of dishwashing liquid. You want a cloudy day so that you can see streaks easily. Spray the windows with the cleaning mixture, then wipe the windows with a thick cloth. Repeat the process on the outsides of your windows.
If you’ve got super clean windows, you don’t want dusty window treatments, right? Take down curtains and wash them with mild laundry soap and hot water. Dry well before rehanging. If you have shades or blinds, use a damp cloth to wipe them down on all surfaces, removing dust and debris as you go.
You’d be surprised at just how dirty your walls get. You probably don’t pay that much attention to them, right? I don’t either! However, if you get close to your walls, you’ll see that they are sort of dusty and dingy. Use warm, soapy water and a cloth to gently wipe down the walls in every room of your house. Don’t scrub too hard or you run the risk of damaging your paint.
This is one of my most satisfactory jobs to get done. It feels so good to feel like my kitchen is super clean and sanitary. Start by taking everything out of each of your cupboards, one at a time. Wipe down the shelves and along the sides and back of each cupboard. If the items inside look dusty or grimy, wash them too. Replace everything, then wipe down the outsides of all of your cupboards and drawers.
It might seem silly to clean your carpets right as fall and winter arrive and people come and go with wet feet all the time. However, now is a good time to clean up the summer grime that collected in your carpets. And then, you can ask everyone to remove their shoes before walking on your carpet and they should stay clean until spring comes.
Now is the time to organize your closets and clean out things and get rid of stuff you don’t need anymore. Go through everything you own and discard what doesn’t fit or that you don’t like anymore. Donate things that are in good shape and organize what’s left. You’ll love having clean closets all through the fall and winter!
You don’t want to leave your patio furniture out all through the fall and winter because snow and moisture can damage it and fabric cushions can get moldy and gross. Wipe and wash the surfaces of the furniture and the seats and dry everything well. Then, store it in a safe place until you’re ready to get it out for the spring and summer.
Which of these jobs do you plan to do this fall? What other chores would you add to the list?