Seth Sebastian Brace yourselves… No, wait, that’s winter.
But still, you need to prepare for the upcoming season, the fall is entering the house. So you’d better make sure the house is ready for that.
There are a number of things you should see to before you can lay back in your armchair and enjoy the coziness of a fall afternoon at home.
Start with cleaning, but don’t forget to do the overall checkup, potential repairing and replacing. When it comes to the things that need to be done but make sure you don’t forget to add a few season-specific chores.
To make things easier for you, here is a list of must do things if you want your house to be completely prepared for the fall.
Start with Windows
If they are really dirty, wash them thoroughly with a glass cleaner or alternatively with a mixture of dishwashing liquid and water in a spray bottle. Use a microfiber cloth and avoid cotton at all costs as it will leave marks on the glass.
A lot of people always focus on cleaning the glass and forget about the other parts. So make sure you clean and vacuum the window frame and valance.
What’s more, you should take care of the window blinds and shades by either vacuuming them as well, or submerging them into cool water mixed with a couple of teaspoons of dishwashing liquid. Of course, if this is appropriate for the type of material or fabric they are made of. And make sure you take out all the metal parts as they might get rusty.
While you’re there, take care of the curtains as well. You can machine wash them on the ‘delicates’ setting if they are cotton, wool, rayon or polyester. In case they are made of silk, satin, linen or lace, by all means, send them to professional cleaning.
And Move to the Walls
This shouldn’t take as much time as window cleaning, yet it needs to be done. Just imagine how much dirt is going to accumulate on them during fall and winter, so it’s better to start from zero.
Simply dust the walls, wash and rinse them, and of course, finally dry them. If you feel like bringing on some change, try some new wallpaper, but maybe it’s better to leave the painting for some other season.
Try to reach the ceiling as well and at least dust it, just be careful. And don’t forget to dust all the light fixtures mounted up there. While you’re at it, you might as well inspect the ceilings in your house for potential spots and cracks which might indicate a plumbing or leaking problem, which seems inconspicuous at the moment, but might become (literally) overwhelming once the rain seasons starts.
Back to the Ground
When it comes to carpets, depending on how often you clean them and well you keep them, a simple vacuuming and rubbing might be just enough. However, it’s always a good idea to take your carpets to deep cleaning.
Just like with the walls, there is a tough season of high frequency and low airing ahead of them, so they better be prepared.
This is also an opportunity to peek under the carpet and check on your floors, especially if they are wooden. Just like with ceilings, look for scratches, cracks or lumps as they might (though they don’t necessarily have to) indicate to some deeper problem.
Vacuum, Sweep, Wipe
Once you cover the three major house dimension, you can dedicate to everything else. Vacuum all the upholstered furniture and cushions and wash all the covers. You can also get some of those items professionally deep cleaned.
When you’re done with that, spend some time in the kitchen and thoroughly clean all the cupboards, as well as the surfaces. Empty the cupboards and drawers, clean and wipe them, throw out the unnecessary things and make some room for the fall/winter supplies and specialties.
Don’t skip your fridge and make sure you clean from all the expired items, as well as to gently vacuum the condenser coil by using the brush extension on your vacuum cleaner.
Speaking of electric devices, you might do your PC a favor and finally do that cleaning that’s been long due. As usual, wipe the keyboard, mouse, and monitor, but also make sure this time you dust the case as well.
Don’t Leave Anything to Chance
The heating season is approaching and by no means do you want anything to go off, one way or the other. So to be on the safe side, check, and if necessary, replace your furnace filters.
Don’t skip the chimney, fireplace, stove flues or whatever similar system you might have and make sure you get them professionally checked and swept.
Finally, don’t forget to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. In case you still don’t have them, do get them installed.
The fall is a magical season for some, and for others, it is the beginning of the end of the year, but we all want to have a nice and clean home, so cleaning is a must.
