Easy Fall Cleaning Checklist

An easy fall cleaning checklist to get your home ready for the cooler days ahead.

So you were too busy to get around to spring cleaning, that annual thorough house cleaning rite of home purification, and now summer has come and gone. 

Expecting a shame-on-you from neatniks and good housekeepers everywhere? You're in for a pleasant surprise. Fall is a great time to deep clean your home. With this easy fall cleaning checklist, getting the dirty jobs done is a snap.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that it's much healthier to clean every nook and corner of your home now before we close our windows and doors to the chilly days ahead.

Thorough House Cleaning: Spring vs Fall

Spring cleaning, after all, is a custom left over from the coal-burning days when homes were covered in soot after a winter's worth of heating. 

Fall cleaning still makes sense for today's homes and busy lifestyles. This easy fall cleaning checklist can help get the ball rolling.

Our home's biggest cleaning challenges today are the blown-in allergens and dirt of spring, summer, and early fall, which soon will not have an exit. 

And, with the busy holiday entertaining season just around the corner, you'll save time by making your home presentable now. 

This easy fall cleaning checklist differs slightly from the spring variety; it focuses more on dust and cobweb control, lighting fixtures, and polishing silver.  

Easy Fall Cleaning Checklist for Windows

For all those sparkling holiday nights ahead, you'll want to ensure your home's mirrors and glass are smudge-, dirt-, and streak-free. These cleaning tricks for windows can help. You'll need the following supplies:

• a squeegee;

• a clean, lint-free rag;

• a glass cleaner (try 1/4 cup vinegar in 3 3/4 cups of water in a spray bottle for an inexpensive yet effective alternative to the store-bought variety).

Spray the glass cleaner lightly on the rag, wash the surface using horizontal strokes to prevent dripping, and squeegee dry.  For extra sparkle, polish the surface with a piece of newspaper when it's nearly dry.

Wash Floors of a Season's Worth of Buildup

Easy Fall Cleaning Checklist for Carpets and Couches

Carpets and upholstery that have absorbed a summer's worth of dirt, body oil, and germs need a deep cleaning to prepare for another year of wear—and for that close inspection by your holiday guests. Put this task near the top of the fall cleaning checklist.

Save time by moving furniture only slightly, not out of the room or against the wall, and place the legs of each piece back on top of small waxed paper squares after shampooing. 

The waxed paper protects your carpet and keeps the furniture legs from getting wet as the carpet dries. Open the window to speed up the drying process, which can take a day or more.

Easy Fall Cleaning Checklist for Ceiling and Light Fixtures

Cobwebs, be gone! With holiday decorations soon to drape the banister, cascade from the ceiling, and waft down walls, these areas and light fixtures are front-and-center showpieces for your fall-clean home.

As part of your fall cleaning checklist, remove dust, dirt, and cobwebs from ceiling fans, heating vents, and grooves of the railing to the baseboards with a cleaning cloth or a slightly damp cloth (to trap and hold dust and dirt) and a vacuum cleaner (use the soft nozzle attachment).

Lighting fixtures on your fall cleaning checklist require a bit more work. To give new light to your life and your light fixtures, you'll need:

• a stepladder

• a sponge

• and a polish cloth or rag.

As you gently clean the glass and area around the fixtures, check carefully for frayed cords, cracks, or other signs of deterioration. Replace them or have them repaired now.

If your home has skylights or tall ceilings, consider investing in a stepladder and extended-reach dust and dirt removal tools.

Easy Fall Cleaning Checklist for Silver and Silver-Plate

For sparkling silver and silver plate, you'll need silver polish - a commercial brand or ordinary white toothpaste will work. Put a bit of the polish on a damp cloth or clean cotton sock; socks make ideal polishing cloths.

Apply polish with one side; then turn the sock over and buff with the other side. Use up-and-down rather than circular strokes to polish the item quickly and effectively in less time.

Use a twisted bit of rag to get into tight places, such as between silverware tines. Finish the job with a few strokes, using a clean, dry cloth or the clean side of the sock.

Store silver behind glass, in cloth or plastic bags, or in plastic wrap to minimize tarnish. Resist the urge to bundle your silver in rubber bands, as rubber can cause discoloration.

Vacuum Voraciously

Your cleaning is complete once you've vacuumed voraciously to eliminate any trace of spring and summer allergens and your basic garden-variety dirt.

There is more to vacuuming than plugging in the machine and giving your area rug or carpet a once-over.

To suck up all the dirt and dust hidden between the fibers, you need to spend about 20 seconds or so going back and forth over each area of the rug or carpet.

Don't waste precious time dragging every stick of furniture up against the wall before you start vacuuming. Instead, move big items a little to the left or right, vacuum the area previously occupied by the furniture, and put it back.