Why And How To Do Fall Cleaning

I love autumn with it’s warm colors, cool evenings, and fun holidays. The one thing that bums me out about fall is knowing that soon my house will be closed up tight for winter – which will have me missing the fresh air.

I did figure out how to keep that fresh air feeling in your home a bit longer. Which is what I’m sharing with you today. Today you are going to learn why and how to do Fall cleaning to prepare your house for Winter.

Fall cleaning is essentially Spring cleaning but in the fall which means there are a few things that you will end up doing in reverse. Instead of pulling out lawn furniture, you’ll be cleaning it up and storing it away. We’ll have more examples and tips a little later on what and how to clean.

First, let’s talk about why it’s important to do Fall cleaning.

Deep Clean Your Home In The Fall

Everyone knows Spring cleaning is about preparing your home for the summer months ahead. Not many people actually do the same type of cleaning in the fall.

Typically in the fall we are more concerned with preparing our gardens, outside spaces, and lawns for the winter ahead. We make sure our lawn mower gets cleaned and put away for winter. We make sure our snow blowers are tuned and gassed up for winter.

But Fall cleaning is more than just preparing our outdoor spaces and machines for Winter. We need to take time to clean up the inside too.

Throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall you typically have your windows open regularly enough to get fresh air in the home. You might be letting in fresh air but you are also letting in dust, pollen, and other allergens as well.

Cleaning your home seasonally helps to keep your home smelling fresh and removing potential allergens.

Low section of man cleaning hardwood floor with vacuum cleaner

Fall Cleaning Checklist Broken Down By Room

I’ve broken down my fall cleaning checklist by room. These lists are meant to be a starting guide for you. You may add or remove things as they apply or don’t apply to what you need to do.

Living Room

In your living space your main focus should be on removing allergens from fabrics and furniture. The main focus for preparing your house for winter is making sure that you are removing any allergens from summer and fall.

Clean Blinds
Clean Windows Inside and Out
Vacuum Ceiling For Cobwebs
Dust Mantels
Clean Baseboards
Move Furniture and Vacuum Underneath
Remove Cushions and Clean Them
Clean Vents or Radiators
Clean Floors

Kitchen

Cleaning your kitchen in the fall is mostly about making sure you are clearing dust and grease from your stove and range hood. This is also a good time to organize your kitchen cabinets, go through your pantry, and check the freshness of your dried spices.

Vacuum Ceiling
Empty Cabinets and Clean Inside
Wipe Down Cabinet Doors
Clean Fridge
Clean Microwave
Clean Oven and Stove
Clean Behind and Under Appliances
Clean Backsplash and Counters
Clean Windows, Blinds, and Curtains
Clean Baseboards and Flooring
Change Batteries In The Smoke Detector

Dining Room

The dining room is an easy room to do your seasonal cleaning with the main focus being on removing dust, allergens, and cobwebs from rugs, fabrics, or ceiling fixtures.

Vacuum Ceiling
Polish and Dust Furniture
Clean Windows, Blinds, and Curtains
Move Furniture and Vacuum Underneath
Clean Floors

Bedrooms

I recommend having some additional help around when you go to do seasonal cleaning of your bedrooms. The furniture that is typically in bedrooms is heavy and bigger than other rooms so it’s more difficult to move on your own.

Vacuum Ceiling
Clean Light Fixtures
Polish and Dust Furniture
Move Bed and Vacuum Underneath
Vacuum Closet Floor
Clean Windows, Blinds, and Curtains
Clean Baseboards
Clean Floors

Bathrooms

Your bathrooms are going to be like a normal monthly deep cleaning. I recommend organizing your bathroom and getting rid of any products that are expired.

Vacuum Ceilings
Vacuum around and behind toilet, vanity, and bathtubs
Wash Walls
Clean Windows, Mirrors, Blinds, and Curtains
Clean Bathroom Fixtures
Clean Baseboards
Clean Floors

Basket of cleaning supplies in front of a tub

Home Office

Cleaning your home office and making sure that you are getting rid of dust and allergens is just good for your computer. Make sure you open up the side of your computer tower and blow out the inside to clear out dust and hair that gets in there.

Vacuum Ceilings
Dust Out the Inside of Computers
Clean Monitor Screens
Dust and Polish Desk
Clean Baseboards
Clean Floors

Basements and Garages

While you start getting ready for winter this is a good time to go through all those holiday totes and boxes to take inventory of what you have and what you may need to get.

Vacuum Ceilings
Sweep Floors and If Finished Flooring Wash Them
Clean Washer and Dryer
Clean Dryer Vents

Outside

Cleaning outside should be split up over the course of the season as you prepare your garden, outside spaces, and yards for winter.

Clean Outside Furniture
Prepare Pots and Gardens For Winter
Clear Out Leaves From Gutters
Wash Outsides of Windows

Fall Cleaning Schedule

Fall cleaning shouldn’t be done on a weekend like Spring cleaning can be. I take my time on all of my seasonal cleanings and focus on just one or two rooms on a weekend.

Fall cleaning is a process though because you are still taking time to enjoy what nice weather you have left until the cold hits. So your outside and garage cleaning should happen on nice weekends, while your basement and inside cleaning tasks can happen as it gets colder or raining.

I typically start my fall cleaning around mid September and finish it by Halloween. The only exception to this is racking additional leaves that fall in my yard after Halloween.

Are there any special chores you do in the Fall? Let me know in the comments below. Follow me on Pinterest for more like this and pin this to your favorite cleaning boards.

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