Let's set the scene: temperatures are getting cooler outside, you're grabbing your coat from your closet, leaves are beginning to change colors and fall off the trees which can only mean one thing: fall is here! Before you dive into all those pumpkin spice lattes, its important that you do a classic "once-over" around your home to make sure it is ready for the cooler winter months that are right around the corner. Plus, the holidays are right around the corner so it's never too early to get a good jump on deep cleaning your home!
1. Wipe down / clean window blinds + window sills!
If you have an AC unit in your window, remove it! If you don't, no worries – you still need to deep clean your window regardless! Using a duster, wipe + dust the blinds themselves and then dust in/around the window itself. Don't forget to clean the windowsill, any crevices or small spaces (as many moldings are intricate). After all of that is done, use a glass microfiber cloth and clean the windows... but only on a cloudy day! On a sunnier day, water will dry quicker leaving behind unwanted streaks (and nobody wants that).
2. Sweep away dirt / debris from doorways!
No matter how hard you try to keep them away, leaves are still bound to end up by your door at some point this fall. Using an outdoor broom, be sure to regularly sweep up the leaves from walkways and especially doorways. It's important to sweep up any dirt, debris or leaves from doorways because thats the last spot people walk through before entering your house and the last thing you want is crunched up leaves in your home. Furthermore, be sure to sweep up any debris from your front porch/patio before Halloween to make sure your ready for all of those trick-or-treaters!
3. Clean out the gutters!
Throw on some heavy duty gloves and be sure to do clean out your gutters! This is very important to ensure there won't be any clogging anywhere within your gutter system. Be sure to remove leaves, twigs, branches and anything else that may have gotten stuck in there throughout the summer so water can drain properly. This is extremely important because once it starts to get colder out, all of that stuff will get frozen in your gutters and just do more damage. Nobody wants frozen and jammed gutters that can't drain properly!
4. Dust off light fixtures!
One of the most forgotten (or most avoided) places to clean are light fixtures, especially those that are high up and difficult to reach. Using an extendable duster, be sure to dust off and clean light fixtures that are around or above tables or chairs. It's important to do this because with the holidays right around the corner, there will be more people in your home and the last thing you want is a dust bunny falling from a light onto a guest or worse... into their dinner (ewwww).
5. Clean out radiators and air vents!
With the seasons changing from summer to fall, that also means making the switch of turning off your AC and flipping your heat on. Because your heat hasn't been turned on in months, it's imperative to wipe down any air vents, radiators, or other heaters to remove any dirt, dust, or debris that may have built up in or around them. While it is important to do this before flipping your heat on for the winter season, be sure to regularly clean these spaces throughout the season because you'll be using your heat for a few months.
6. Get rid of pet hair!
It may be extremely hard to believe but pets shed just as much in the fall as they shed after winter, and if you are a pet owner you already know this. Since most pets will shed their summer coat in preparation for their winter coat, pet hair is bound to end up everywhere in your home. Using a No Bones About It Sponge (which is electromagnetically charged to attract pet hair), wipe down couches, chairs, and even in your car on a regular basis to remove any pet hair that may build up. If your pet sheds year round, be sure to do this on a regular basis (especially around the holidays) to keep your home free of pet hair!
7. Sweep up dirt/debris from the inside of your home (leaves, etc).
We already covered the outdoor broom, but what about sweeping up inside your home? That is just as important as sweeping up outside! Since pobody is nerfect and leaves will still somehow find a way to get into your home, use a floor duster or sweeper and sweep up any loose dirt, debris, dust bunnies, and leaves that may end up in your home. A good example of this is that our dog is notorious for going outside and playing in the leaves, and when it comes in, there is a trail of crunched up leaves from the door to the living room. It's the worst, but keeping a broom handy is good for situations like this because we can't stay mad at our doggo for long.
8. Wipe off and dust baseboards + moldings!
A change in the temperature outside also means a slight change in your footwear. Say goodbye to your flip flops and say hello to those clunky winter boots! With those clunkier shoes, they can trap + hold more dirt within their deeper shoe tread, which means they can leave more stuff behind inside your home. Using a floor duster, be sure to dust those higher traffic areas where you enter your home, such as the main staircase (if applicable). It's also important to wipe down baseboards and moldings because that is where the most dust, dirt and debris can secretly be hiding in plain sight.
9. Deep clean your floors – don't be quick!
Forget quick cleaning – your floors NEED a good deep clean this fall. It's important to deep clean your floors because the winter months bring higher foot traffic to your home during the holiday season, which means you've got to keep your floors cleaner a lot more than usual. Our proper deep cleaning method includes hitting the floors with a floor duster, sweeping up any debris with a dustpan, then mopping. We're not talking about a quick spritz with a spray mop, either... we're talking about going around with a proper squeeze mop and bucket and mopping all your floor surfaces more often than you think you should. Be sure to mop your floor on a cloudy day because on sunnier ones, your floor will dry quicker (because of the sun veering into your windows) and leave behind streaks which nobody wants.
10. Deep clean showers + tubs!
The number one most hated place to clean in your home is 100% your bathroom, and we won't argue with that because cleaning the bathroom just isn't fun at all. But, no matter how much you hate doing it, you have to clean your bathroom and it's important to do a deep clean of your bathroom in the fall because your bathroom is about to get a lot busier next month with the holiday season kicking off. Using a bathroom scrubber, be sure to scrub down hard to clean areas such as soap dishes, shower caddies, in/around faucets + drains, and even grout lines that you wouldn't normally 'deep' clean. You need to be doing this more than you think to avoid any buildup of unwanted scum.
And... thats it! We hope this helps with your fall cleaning tasks and helps clean these spaces easier so you spend less time indoors cleaning and more time outside enjoying the beautiful weather while it still lasts!
Shop Fall Cleanup:
1. Blinds Cleaner
2. Outdoor Broom
3. Extendable Duster
4. Vent Brush
5. No Bones About It Sponge
6. Quick 'n Easy Upright Sweep Set
7. Basics Flex Floor Duster
8. Magnet Mop 2
9. 4 Gallon Bucket
10. Bristle Everywhere Scrubber