When the weather gets cooler and the leaves start to change colors, it means it’s fall once again. This is a favorite season for a lot of people, but it is also like spring in one sense: it is a great time of year to do some serious house cleaning!
Completing chores that you don’t do every day is a lot easier when you know that you only have to do them once a year, and the good news is that most of these tasks really don’t take too long to finish. While there are dozens of chores that you can get done every fall, below are a handful of the most important ones.
*We earn a commission for products purchased through affiliate links on our site.
You could also read…
12 Things That You Should Clean Every Fall
1. Clean Your Grout
Grout gets dirty, but you don’t have to clean it every time you clean your home. Wait until the fall to do it, and use a cleaning product made just for grout. Clean grout everywhere you can find it, including the bathroom, kitchen, and even outdoors if you have it there. You can use an old toothbrush or a small scrub brush, but a once-a-year cleaning is all it needs to look good.
2. Clean All of Your Garbage Cans
Now is a great time to take all of the garbage cans in your home, including the ones you keep outside and give them a good cleaning. Start with warm water and soapy detergent and scrub them to get any debris off of them. When you’re done, use a good disinfectant on them so that even more germs are removed. If you have time, let them dry in the sun before putting them back where they belong.
3. Clean Your Oven
No one enjoys cleaning an oven, but if you clean it at least once a year, the gunk won’t have as much of a chance to build up and therefore wreak havoc on the entire kitchen. Even if you don’t use your oven that often, buy a good fume-free oven cleaner and give it a deep cleaning. It should sparkle and shine when you’re done, and it will make future baking projects much easier for you.
4. Clean Your Mattresses
It’s easy to neglect the mattresses on your bed. While many experts recommend flipping them over occasionally, most people don’t do this. In the fall, you can start by vacuuming both sides of each mattress, then flip them over so that you’ll be using the other side for a while. Take your time vacuuming so that you get everything, which usually includes mites and bed bugs. Yuck!
Vacuum for Bed Bugs
Atrix HEPA Backpack Vacuum
Atrix
5. Wash Your Artificial Plants
If you have artificial plants in your home, give them a good dusting and cleaning when fall comes. You should dust them first, but if there’s any type of stuck-on dirt or debris, you should also clean them with some mild detergent and water. And yes, this will mean cleaning each leaf individually, but it will be worth it in the end because they’ll look amazing.
6. Clean All Keyboards, Remote Controls, and Screens
Everyone has television sets, computers, and remote controls for various items in their home. Once a year, thoroughly clean all of your computer keyboards, the screens on your computers, tablets, and television sets, and any remote controls you might have in your home. Cleaning them with disinfecting wipes is a great idea, and make sure that you clean in between every nook and cranny.
Related: How to Clean Your Computer Keyboard
7. Vacuum Upholstered Items in Your Home
If you have any upholstered furniture, cushions, throw pillows, etc., now is the perfect time to vacuum them and, if necessary, spot-clean them. Vacuum them well to remove dust and debris. If they need to be cleaned even better, go ahead and do what needs to be done to accomplish this. Some cushions and pillows even have removable covers that you can clean by throwing them in the washer.
8. Wash Your Windows Thoroughly
Washing your windows doesn’t just include the window panes themselves. You should also clean the frames and the window sill as well. Clean everything on both sides of each window in your home, which likely means that you’ll be using two different types of cleaner. Whatever the frames are made of, make sure that your cleaner suits that purpose, then go to town with your cleaning!
9. Wash or Dry Clean All of Your Curtains
Go through each room individually and remove all curtains, valances, etc., and either throw them in the washer or have them dry-cleaned. It is easy to neglect the curtains and drapes in your home, but giving them a once-a-year cleaning will have them looking much better for a much longer period of time. This will improve the look of your entire home.
10. Clean the Baseboards
Just the same as cleaning your oven, this chore is not exactly a fun one, but you’ll be amazed by how much better every room in your house looks once you’re done. You’ll have to dust the baseboards with a soft cloth and some dusting spray, but there are now tools you can buy that allow you to stand up while you’re cleaning them so you don’t have to bend over and work on the floor.
11. Take Care of Your Leather Furniture
This is a great time of year to condition all of the leather furniture in your home. Leather always needs special treatment, and once you find the right conditioning product, you can even use it on the leather in your vehicles if you have it there. Just make sure that the products you buy are for leather only, and it will keep all of your leather items supple and soft.
12. Clean and Turn Your Ceiling Fans
Start this task by thoroughly dusting all of your ceiling fans, then turn them around so that the blades are turning in the opposite direction. Buy a good dusting/cleaning spray and wipe them with a thick cloth so that all of the dust and debris are removed. You can also turn them around again in the spring before the warm weather hits because warm and cool weather requires a different direction for the blades.
Comments are closed.