It’s that beautiful time of year again! The leaves are changing, the weather is colder, and the hot beverages taste better than normal. Enjoying the fall season is far more than warm coffee and orange leaves. These things would not mean half as much without an organized and clean house to enjoy them on.
The Cleaning Crew Fall Cleaning Chore Checklist will help you prepare your home for the upcoming holiday season and potential house guests.
Kitchen
- Re-Organize and Clean Out Pantry – Throw away expired goods, re-arrange as needed, write out a pantry inventory, and make a grocery list of the things you will need to stock up on. Keep in mind the fact that community food pantries are in dire need of donations during this time of year.
- Clean Oven – Prep your oven for holiday cooking and baking. If you don’t have a self-cleaning oven, The Cleaning Crew can offer some quick and easy oven-cleaning solutions.
- Wipe Down Kitchen Cupboards – Wipe down your kitchen cupboards. You can even wipe the insides and the tops if you feel ambitious!
- Deep Clean the Refrigerator & Freezer – Throw away all expired foods, remove and scrub shelves, drawers, and other small pieces in order to deep clean, and replace the filter on ice-maker or water dispenser.
Windows
- Wash Windows, Inside and Out – This may be your last chance to clean the exterior windows before bad weather sets in. Call The Cleaning Crew for professional cleaning of the insides, outsides, tracks and screens!
- Wash Curtains – Pull down any curtains that can be washed and clean them. If you can’t wash them, take them outside to shake the dust off.
- Wipe Blinds – Wipe down the blinds of the interior windows. This is best done with a dusting glove.
Bedrooms
- Bring Out Winter Things for Closets – Take this opportunity to reorganize. Clean out the closets and make several organized piles. One for donating, one for keeping, one for trash, and one for seasonal clothes.
- Prepare For Holiday Guests – Guest rooms should be not only clean, but also inviting. Try setting out flowers or other special touches to make guests feel especially welcome. Keep the heating working; re-fuel from Romeo’s Fuel if necessary. You don’t want your guests to feel all chilly and uncomfortable.
- Clean all Bedding and Bring Out Winter Comforters – Bring out heavier bedding and winter comforters for the cold days ahead.
Other General Cleaning
- Dust or Wash Light Fixtures – Most light fixtures are removable and unscrew so you can dust or wash them. Make sure to turn the switch off and allow bulbs to cool before you do this!
- Vacuum Furniture – Vacuum your upholstered furniture and/or dust & wipe down any wooden furniture.
- Vacuum and Shampoo Carpets – Be sure your carpets are clean before all the winter snow! Make sure you have a great vacuum cleaner (check out a website like cleanthatfloor.com if you’re not sure which to get!) that gets up all the dirt and grime the carpet has been collecting, rather than pushing it deeper into the carpet. You can find reviews of carpet cleaners on Appliance Hunter if your carpet cleaner isn’t up to scratch! It’s a great investment and you’ll never have stained carpets again.
- Dust the House from Top to Bottom – This means everything from the cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling to the baseboards. Go from room to room and dust everything! Dusting top to bottom is the most efficient way to clean.
- Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors – Don’t skip this step, especially if you have any kind of wood fired heat. Just a simple push of a button is all it takes.
- Check the indoor heating – make sure that when you come into the winter months that your heating system and furnaces are working properly, by using places like Valley Service (https://valleyservice.net/fargo-services/furnace-repair) this can help to repair or maintain any heating installations in your house.
Brisk and breezy days are best for overcoming the deep-cleaning chores necessary for a clean, comfortable winter home and a wonderful autumn season. Happy Fall!