Fall Cleaning Checklist
A chilly breeze is in the air, and soon, the falling leaves will be in motion – circling around the pumpkins that decorate your neighborhood. Trick-or-treaters are coming to knock at the front door. You might even be making arrangements for family to visit you over the coming holiday season. All of these signal one thing – winter is coming!
Are you prepared for fall cleaning? Sure, spring is the better-known season for all of those up-to-your elbows chores, but fall should also be a time for deep cleaning – to prepare a comfortable house to retreat into, surrounded in the warmth of family and friends. Not to mention that a lack of preparation for winter or procrastinating your fall cleaning to-dos can result in long-term damages to your home and yard.
So put down the Halloween candy and wrap yourself up in this essential fall cleaning checklist:
- Check caulking around windows. This will enhance insulation and cut down on your electric bill!
- Have your carpet professionally cleaned early in the month of October when weather is still warm and the professional cleaning companies are not yet busy.
- Fall cleaning wouldn’t be complete without flushing out the gutters after the leaves have fallen. Build-up can create ice dams and prevent proper drainage, roof leaks, etc.
- Clean or buy a humidifier (depending on how dry your home gets in the winter).
- Remove patio furniture, grills, and children’s toys from the outdoors. Fall cleaning means storing all of your summer possessions in the garage or storage room.
- Re-organize kitchen cabinets to prepare for those big family meals!
- Check external and garage doors. Is the weather strip crumbling away from age? Does it seal tightly? Fix any issues that might reduce energy efficiency as part of your fall cleaning routine.
- Inspect and clean out chimneys, fireplaces and furnaces.
- Launder all bedding (including the musty stuff you never use in the closets). Turn over your mattresses.
Don’t let winter sneak up on you. Be ready for guests and the season’s harsher climate by marking fall cleaning chores off of our handy checklist. And if you get on a roll, try conquering other tasks from our general maintenance checklist. Staying on top of these tasks keep your home comfortable, your family happy, and your property value high in case a time comes when you want to sell! Interested in buying or selling now? Consult Inspect-it 1st to see if your house needs any safety updates or improvements.