Spring Cleaning for the Fall

Summer has come to an end and the fall and winter months are approaching. It’s time to put away those swimming toys and bathing suits and replace them with holiday decorations and sweaters. I always find it helpful to do a “spring cleaning” for the fall.

It may not sound like the most fun thing to do but you can make it not miserable! Have the family pitch in and help. Focus on one specific task a day instead of trying to get everything cleaned in one day or two. With the help of your family, you should have that house cleaned in no time. For example, one day have everyone clean the windows in the house. Then the next day everyone could clean the baseboards in the house. This way deep cleaning is getting done and with everyone helping, you could get your house in tip-top shape in a week or less!

Try and get those cleaning tasks done during the week, that way you and the family will have the weekends to relax and enjoy your time off. Something else to think about is inspecting each room and seeing what needs to be done. This could also be a good tactic when getting ready for the fall and winter. Get rid of things that you have not used in months or have a garage sale for your summer stuff (make a little cash). Perhaps tackling a room at a time will be more helpful then a cleaning project at a time, it is all up to you.

Do not get overwhelmed. Make a checklist of everything that you need to do. It will be nice when everything is marked off and your house is sparkling. Here are a couple of things that I would have on my checklist…

• Clean all bedding or have it professionally cleaned
• Clean the refrigerator
• Clean patio and put away summer toys or umbrellas or patio furniture if you won’t be using it during the fall or winter
• Check caulk around the windows and doors. You may have to redo to make sure that they are sealed tight!
• Clean and organize the kitchen. Clean out the cabinets and prepare your kitchen for some holiday cooking!
• Check your furnace to see if it needs any maintenance
• Change your air filter and get a nice clean one for the cold months to come. This makes a huge difference in saving money on that electric bill!
• Flip the mattresses in the bedrooms and clean them if possible. Make those beds cozy for the winter

Don’t feel stressed about spring cleaning. Get together an easy-to-follow checklist, take it one item at a time and have fun with it!