Should we be doing fall cleaning instead of spring cleaning? 45% of people think fall is the best season for deep cleaning, according to a study conducted by SpareFoot.com. This could explain why our local Goodwill drop-off point filled up by noon the other day. Children are back at school, the weather is still great, and parents are decluttering and reorganizing their most important spaces.
Five rooms you don’t want to forget during fall cleaning:
1. Bedrooms: Take a look through your summer wardrobe. This is the time to donate those pieces you may have tried on, but never wore this summer. Perhaps that is a signal that these pieces were not your most beloved. In your children’s closets, pull out and donate worn or outgrown clothes. If you store winter clothes, this is the perfect time to return them to your closet and inventory what you have.
2. Kitchen: In the pantry, throw away any unhealthful, unpopular or expired food items. Organize your pantry so that your children can easily find items to put into their lunchboxes. Store snacks for your children at eye level in labeled containers. Fall is also a great time to ask your cleaning service to deep clean your refrigerator and oven.
3. Bathroom: In your medicine cabinet, check expiration dates on your medicines and take note of any items that need to be replaced.
4. Office: Catch up on filing paperwork. Update your calendar with school holidays, and sports schedules. Schedule photo session for holiday photos. Sort and downsize your photos. Go through a box (or folder on your computer) of photos every couple of weeks. Update framed photos around the house.
5. Garage: Go through sports equipment, pool and beach toys, and toss broken or unused items. Store summer items in a large labeled bin until next spring. Wash out coolers, clean sleeping bags and tents, and put all camping equipment away until next season. Bring out winter sports gear and evaluate what will need to be replaced for this season
Fall is also a great time to schedule carpet cleaning, window washing and gutter cleaning. Note any delayed home repairs and take action to have these fixed. By the time November rolls around you will feel ready to tackle the holiday rush!