Summer is almost coming to an end, and we’re just about to usher in the fall. For homeowners, the onset of fall means much more than a few lifestyle modifications. Fall is a prime time to wrap up the spring and summer cleaning projects and implement the fall cleaning checklist in preparation for the holiday season.
Before the winter sets in, you have to take care of seasonal cleaning chores both inside and outside of the house. Today, we’re going to roll out our tried-and-tested cleaning tips for fall to help you prep up, organize and clean both outside and inside of your home in readiness for the winter.
Fall Clean-Up Checklist for Your Home’s Exterior
As fall makes headway, it marks the end of the growing season and the start of your hard yard cleaning work. The following cleaning tips for fall will be useful during your out-of-door fall clean-up:
Have your gutters cleaned or replaced
Your gutters may get clogged as they drain water from your roof to offset the water damage. Clogged gutters are the recipe for water damage to your home’s foundation, siding, doors, and windows. With just a few tools, you can clean and de-clog the gutters on your own. But if the damage is beyond repair, you can easily schedule a gutter replacement with a professional service.
Remove leaves or mulch them.
Leaves on the yard can suffocate your lawn during the winter. Get rid of them so that the grass can grow quicker and healthier when the next season begins. You can also mulch them directly into the lawn for fertilization, or collect the excess and put in a compost pile.
Mow your lawn and add the appropriate nutrients
Mowing your lawn in the fall is a perfect way to keep it looking great in the seasons to come. It’s best to set your cutting height at two inches to enable the grass to store food for growth and prevent snow and ice. Furthermore, never forget to give your lawn the nutrients it needs for optimum growth.
Fall Clean-Up Checklist for Your Home’s Interior
You should focus your indoor home cleaning on promoting a safe and comfortable living environment for the winter months in the fall. Here’s a proven fall cleaning checklist that’ll make your interior house cleanup easier than expected:
Prioritize heavy-traffic areas
Start your indoor fall cleaning with specific high-traffic or highly visited areas, including the living room, kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Dust, wash, and rinse all the walls, paying closer attention to dry painted or wood-paneled walls. Also, make sure the kitchen cabinets are sparkling clean, organized, and ready for holiday cooking and baking. Discard any expired food and stock up on dry supplies in preparation for the holidays.
Have your HVAC system cleaned and professionally inspected
Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit will prove useful during the winter season, especially if you live in northern climates. So, have your furnace professionally inspected by a specialized HVAC contractor. Make sure the technician has tested the system’s heat output and examined harmful CO2 levels. Once the inspection is complete, it’s time to improve your system’s output by clearing out dust/dander and wiping down all ducts and vents. Filters need to be swapped once in three months as per the manufacturer’s guidelines.
Clean all windows and inspect the window sills
Your indoor fall cleaning won’t be complete without cleaning windows and inspecting the sills for heat escape. Fill a spray bottle with tap water and add one squirt of dishwashing liquid. Shake the bottle to blend well, and then wipe down your windows using either a microfiber cloth or glass cleaner. Make sure there are no streaks left.
Additionally, make sure to inspect windows for any signs of cracks in the sill or glass. Even a fully functional air-con unit will be rendered useless if the windows have small openings permitting heat to escape. In case there are openings, put plastic wrap over the windows to minimize heat seepage through the glass.
Final Thought
At a glance, these cleaning tips for fall might seem quite tasking to follow and implement religiously. However, they’re easy-peasy to accomplish in just minutes, provided you have the proper cleaning, decluttering, and organizing supplies. If you’re unable to carve out 2-3 hours and handle your fall cleaning chores, you can always outsource them to a professional cleaning service. We’ll be glad to knock out your fall cleaning work and help prepare your yard before the long winter arrives.
