I absolutely love, love, love fall. Everything is beautiful, and we are home a lot more. It is very hard to maintain a cleaning schedule in the summer due to all of the outside activity time. We spend at least 3-4 hours a day outside. In the fall we do go outside but only after school.
My home stays company ready. No, that does not mean it is perfect or organized. We do live in it, but if someone drops by then I’m not freaking out if they have to use our restroom or something. I have a regular “light” cleaning schedule daily.
Cleaning does not have to take a long time, but it does need to have a direction. With direction it will go smoother and take less time. In previous posts I have mentioned “losing a perfectionist attitude” and that is very true. To have direction, as with anything goals must be set and a plan. Lists also work well. To not reinvent the wheel, when making your fall cleaning list, laminate it, then re-use it every year. If something changes stick a post it note on the sheet.
Cleaning your home for fall:
1. Cobweb everyroom. This will only take 15-20 min. but it needs to be done. I always find more cobwebs in the fall. Grab a broom and put a pillowcase over the top. Then tie it with some string at the bottom of the pillowcase to keep it from falling off.
2. Clean out all of the drains in the house. This will be gross, but it must be done. Use a toothbrush. This will help to get all of the hair out of the drains and you won’t have to touch it. Then flush the drains with bleach.
3. Dust well. The furnace has probably been on so everything will need to be moved and dusted.
4. Take down all of your knick knacks and stuff. Pictures on mantels or in the places that you will be hanging decorations. I have a box on hand for this stuff and put it away through the holidays. It usually stays up until after Christmas. Dust all of the knick knacks as you put them in the storage box.
5. Set the stove on self clean, or if you don’t have self clean then you will have to clean the bottom of the stove. But the holidays are coming and it needs to be clean and ready to go. Pinterest has some great suggestions for chemical free cleaning of stoves.
For my fall cleaning I like to take a beautiful Saturday and get it all done, but if you prefer to do a little everyday for a week, that is fine. Having your home ready for the upcoming holidays will save you stress. Really.
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Cheers,
Michelle
I also like to spend time outside with the kids and all summer long I am trying to find some excuses to go out but not clean! 🙂 The fall is here already and I need to deep clean my home because in the winter it is much harder to clean. Thanks for the tips! I hate cleaning the drains but I have to do it! 🙂
Yes, cleaning is much harder in the fall? glad to help!