The Ultimate Fall Cleaning Checklist – Cheat Sheet

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How to prepare your home for fall with The Ultimate Fall Cleaning Checklist!

Deep clean your entire home with these simple fall cleaning tips.

Use this fall home maintenance checklist to do necessary maintenance to avoid future costly repairs!

 

 

Fall is my favorite season.

I break out all of my DIY fall decors and decorate the outside of my home with mums and a lot of pumpkins. 

When the air is starting to get cooler and the leaves are changing colors most of us want to curl up in a blanket with hot chocolate.

Fall is one of the best times for seasonal cleaning before the upcoming holiday season.

However, what many people don’t realize is that fall cleaning is more important than spring cleaning.

Doing a thorough fall clean-up prepares your home for the upcoming colder season.

How To Prepare Your Home For Fall – Fall Home Maintenance

When autumn finally arrives we think about pumpkin spice and corn mazes, but the truth is bad weather and flu season are just around the corner. 

That is why it is important to take this time to get your home prepared for fall and winter.

Use this deep cleaning checklist to make sure you have everything taken care of. 

Not only will doing a little fall home maintenance prevent pesky insects and rodents from entering your home, but it can make your home more energy-efficient for the upcoming winter season.

Don’t forget that this is a great time to declutter your home.

If you need a little help, here is a list of 99 things to throw away (I promise you won’t miss any of them)!

Now you find on this list that I use vinegar to clean a lot of things. I love using vinegar for cleaning because it is non-toxic.

Be sure to check out all of my DIY vinegar recipes!

Fall Cleaning Checklist Printable

Don’t forget to print off this FREE fall cleaning checklist to help you with your fall chores along the way!

This free printable fall cleaning checklist all the fall cleaning tasks listed so you can get started before the cooler weather starts.

 

 

Fall Cleaning Checklist – Cheat Sheet

The ultimate fall cleaning checklist cheat sheet to have your home prepared for fall and winter. Do these small chores now to prevent major home maintenance later. 

Living Room

Clean Your Fireplace – If you have a fireplace, now is the time to prep it for the upcoming cold weather. Your fireplace and chimney should always be cleaned and inspected every fall. 

We have a gas fireplace, so we don’t have to worry about a chimney, but we still vacuum the gas logs and check for any due maintenance before using it. 

Clean Area Rugs – If you can shampoo your area rug, then I suggest that. However, I know many people have Jute rugs that cannot be shampooed. 

If you have a Jute rug, then spot clean it with a mix of 1 part white vinegar and 1 part water. Don’t scrub it too hard because it will loosen the fibers. 

Clean The Furniture – Our sofa cover is washable which makes things so much easier.

If your sofa cover can’t be removed, then try using an attachment on your shampooer to suck out all the dirt and grime.

If you don’t have one, you can rent one at a local hardware store. Or make things a little easier and hire a professional. 

Clean The Green – Plants provide a lot of benefits to our homes but they can collect dust just like everything else. Take a damp cloth to gently remove dust from all the leaves.

Do the same for any artificial plants as well. 

Clean Ceiling Fans – Now is the time to clean all the dust and grime from your ceiling fans.

Then find the switch on top to reverse to spin clockwise to help keep your home warm in the fall and winter months. 

Wash The Blinds – Even if you regularly dust your blinds, you should thoroughly clean them at least twice a year.

I run a bath full of hot water and add a good amount of dish detergent, then let all my blinds soak.

Then I just rinse them off and hang them outside to dry.

Wash Throw Blankets – Chances are you will be using fluffy throw blankets on our sofa this fall.

More than likely they are stored away and haven’t been used since last winter.

So now is the perfect time to throw them in the wash and get them ready. 

 

 

Kitchen

Clean Out The Pantry – Now is the time to throw away all of that expired food.

If you are like me, you will be adding a lot of baking essentials to gear up for the holidays.

So this is the perfect time to make some room in your pantry. 

Clean The Oven – Did you know that using the “self-cleaning” feature on your oven can actually damage your oven.

Not to mention the toxic fumes it can release.

Skip the toxic oven cleaner, and use good ol’ baking soda. 

How to clean your oven with baking soda & vinegar:

• Make sure the oven is cool.
• Remove all loose debris.
• Remove the oven racks and clean them with hot soapy water in the sink.
• Sprinkle baking soda all in the oven avoiding the heating elements. 
• Add a little water to make a paste. 
• Leave it overnight. 
• The next day, wipe it clean.
• For those tough spots, spray a mix of vinegar and water, then scrub it clean.

Clean Out The Refrigerator – Take out all your food and put it in a cooler.

Then take out all the removable parts like shelves and drawers.

Let them sit at room temperature for around 30 minutes, then scrub them with soap water. 

Wipe out the entire refrigerator with a soapy sponge.

Then wipe out all the soap with a clean sponge or cloth.

Clean Your Hood Vent Filter – Simply take the vent filter out and submerge it in really hot water in the kitchen sink.

Let it soak for around 30 minutes, and it should be completely clean.

If it is really dirty, add a cup of white vinegar to the water. 

Clean Your Small Appliances – Unplug all your small appliances before cleaning them. 

• Coffeepot – Fill the water reservoir with 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water. Let it sit for at least an hour and then brew it. Then brew two cycles of water to remove all the vinegar residue. 
• Microwave – I use the Angry Mama microwave steam cleaner. It works like a charm every time.
• Toaster – Unplug the toaster and shake out any bread crumbs. Then pull out and clean the crumb tray on the bottom. 

Bedrooms

Store Summer Clothes & Shoes – Now is the time to pack away all your summer wardrobe.

We easily do this by using under-the-bed storage containers.

Each family member stores their winter items there in the summer and their summer items there in the winter. 

Declutter Your Closet – This is the perfect time to get rid of all those clothes you don’t wear. Either donate them or toss them.

Use this step-by-step guide on how to declutter your whole closet.

Wash Your Winter Blankets – The cold nights are just around the corner. It’s time to wash all of your winter blankets and have them ready. 

Clean Under The Bed – Now is the time to vacuum under your bed to clear out dust bunnies that have accumulated over the summer. 

Dust The Entire Room – We keep mini air-purifiers in our bedrooms to cut down the dust, but it still needs a good dusting every now and then.

Take this time to dust everything off. 

Clean Your Bedroom – Chances are you have been busy this summer and cleaning your room was the last thing on your list. Now is a good time to give it a thorough cleaning.

Check out how you can clean and declutter your room in one day!

Vacuum Your Mattress – Even if you have a mattress protector dust and old skin cells build up on your mattress.

It’s pretty gross if you think about it, so vacuum all grime away. 

Wash Mattress Cover & Pads – The fall is a good time to wash your mattress pad or protective cover. 

Bathrooms

Scrub The Shower – Even though you probably clean your shower frequently, now is the time to wash your shower curtain or deep clean your shower door. 

Check For Mildew – Check all the caulking around your bathtub and shower.

If there is any mildew clean it off.

If you can’t remove the mildew by cleaning it, then remove the caulking and apply a new layer. 

Clean Out The Medicine Cabinet – Check all the dates of medications and supplements and throw away anything expired.

Throw away anything you haven’t used in the past year. 

Dust Inside the Towel Closet – The towel closet is dark and is the home to a lot of fluffy towels. No wonder they accumulate dust!

Now is the time to completely dust it out and check for cobwebs. 

Throw Away All Empty Bottles – For some reason, my family tends to open new shampoo bottles without throwing the old bottles away.

So if you do that too, then it’s time to go through them and throw them all away. 

Go through this list of 99 Things To Throw Away.

Laundry Room

Clean Around Appliances – Unplug and pull out the washer and dryer so you can clean behind them and under them.

Clean The Washer – I know this one seems like a waste of time, but our washers get very grimy with all the dirty laundry. 

• Wipe off any dirt you may see inside and outside of your washing machine.
• Clean out the detergent and fabric softener dispensers.
• Don’t forget to wipe down the rubber seal.
• Then pour a half cup of bleach into the bleach dispenser, select hot water, and run an empty load.

Clean The Dryer – Keeping your dryer clean is very important because when dryers are full of lint they are a fire hazard.

While the dryer is unplugged:

• Vacuum out the lint trap.
• Wipe out the interior dryer drum.
• Loosen your lint vent (the aluminum piping in the back) and vacuum it. 
• Reattach your lint vent.

Outdoor Tasks

Clean and Cover Patio Sets – Your outdoor furniture should be waterproof so spraying it off with the water hose should clean it pretty well.

You may need to spot scrub some stains and dirt.

To keep your patio set looking its best for several years, you should always cover them in the colder months.

Also, it is a good time to cover your grill to protect it from the elements.

Inspect The Outside Dryer Vent – Many of us forget about our outside dryer vent but it’s important to check it for clogs or cracks.

Check the flaps to make sure they are not broken and that the vent is tight. You definitely don’t want it to be easy access to any little creatures. 

Pressure Wash Your Siding – By the time fall rolls around, pollen and dirt have had a lot of time to attach to your siding.

This is a good time to pressure wash all that grime away.

Make sure to inspect your siding thoroughly before breaking out the pressure washer.

Wash Your Porch/Patio – While you have the pressure washer out, wash your patio and porch. 

Clean Windows – With the air turning colder, you probably won’t need the screens in your windows anymore.

Take them out and give them a good scrub with soap and water, before rinsing them off with the water hose.

Then clean all of your windows inside and out.

Clean Gutters – My husband really dislikes cleaning the gutters.

One day we will invest in gutter guards but for now, we are faced with cleaning out the gutters twice a year. 

Professional Outdoor Home Inspection – An outdoor home inspection is an inspection done by a professional that looks at the outside of your home.

They will often look for things like roofing and siding damage, foundation problems, termites, and other insects.

It’s better to tackle pest control now before the winter season.

Fall Home Maintenance Checklist

Check Smoke Detectors – Remember to always change smoke detector batteries when the time changes.

So you should do this every spring and fall.

Then run a test to make sure they are still working properly.

Check Carbon Monoxide Detectors – Now this may seem as simple as pressing the test button, however, that only lets you know that the alarm is working.

To truly test your carbon monoxide detector you need something that will emit low levels of CO like a lit cigarette or CO testing canister.

Check The Caulk Around Windows & Doors – So you are not throwing your money away on a huge power bill this winter, take this time to check for any damage to the seals or caulking around doors and windows. 

Weatherproof Your Windows – Two years ago, we started putting up window insulator kits on our bedroom windows as soon as the temperature started dropping.

In the past two years, it has saved us over $1000 on our power bill.

I compared how much we paid during the fall and winter seasons to the years prior and I was shocked how something so simple could make such a huge difference.

They cost under $1 per window and are so simple to put up in the fall and remove in the spring.

Replace Air Filters -The first thing you should do in the change of seasons is change out your air and furnace filters.

This not only protects against allergens but also prevents dust particles from settling on furniture and carpets, which can cause allergies as well as other respiratory problems.

Ragweed is horrible in the fall, and many people will find that they have more allergy symptoms in the fall rather than in the spring – I speak from “ragweed allergy” experience!

The fall season is a good time to invest in an allergen air filter. 

Wash Window Treatments – When the air starts getting colder I usually change many of my curtains out and use the thick blackout curtains to protect my home from drafts.

Whether you switch out your curtains or not, it’s still a good time to wash all the dust off of the curtains. 

Curtains and valances collect a lot of dust.

Window treatments are also a great place for spiders to hide.

Washing them every fall and spring season is a good idea and should keep your window treatments tidy and hopefully, pest free.

Replace doormats – I like to have a cute fall welcome mat at the front door because it goes well with my porch decor.

Doormats are cheap and they take a beating, so it’s good to replace them so they can do their job of preventing dirt from coming into your home. 

 

Fall Clean Up Checklist

So, take steps now to prepare your home for the upcoming fall and winter weather.

After completing this huge fall checklist, it’s time to cozy up and enjoy all of the fall festivities. 

You can relax knowing that your home is fully prepared.

Not only that, but you should be able to cut your costly power bill in half. 

Remember, a clean home is a happy home!

Let me know in the comments if there is anything I missed that you do for your fall cleaning schedule. 

If you want to down this FREE Fall Cleaning Checklist then you can sign up here to download it from the FREE Resource Library. 

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