Fall is a beautiful season, but it can also be a dirty one. Leaves fall from the sky and get tracked into the house by pets and shoes, dirt lands on your patio furniture, and cooking fires can leave a mess indoors. However, you don’t have to let the unexpected messes of fall spoil your fun of the season. Here are home cleaning tasks that will help you to accomplish your fall home cleaning checklist:

Change Your Furnace Filter

The fall home cleaning checklist is usually filled with items like vacuuming, dusting, and other household chores that keep the home fresh and invigorating. However, one thing many homeowners overlook during this time of year is changing the furnace filter. While it may seem like an unimportant task, making sure your furnace filter is clean can save you money and protect you from spending huge amounts on AC repair. If you neglect to change your furnace filter, it can allow dirt and debris into your home’s air stream. This can cause the unit to operate harder than necessary, causing it to overheat and perform less efficiently.

A dirty filter can also lead to poor indoor air quality, resulting in more dusting, cleaning, and allergies for you and your family. Many different types and sizes of filters exist, and your filter can be found in the manual for your equipment. If you cannot find your manual, check online resources like Google or call a local heating and cooling company. You can also ask a professional electrician about what type of filter is best for you. If you can, be sure to change your filter a minimum of once a month in the fall. This will help keep your indoor air quality healthy and clean all season long.

Change Your Caulking

Fall is a time for many things. It’s a transition from warm days to cool ones, it’s the beginning of some popular holidays, and more importantly, it’s a season that can be marred by various seasonal illnesses. Tackling a fall home cleaning checklist for your home will keep you and your family healthy and happy through the season. Caulking is essential to use around the house because it protects against humidity and helps pest control. However, some people don’t change their caulking like they should and end up with a buildup that inhibits proper airflow. This can make it harder for your HVAC system to function correctly. It’s imperative that you’re proactive about your caulking and change it before any significant problems arise. If the caulking around your home is over a year old, it should be removed entirely and replaced with fresh caulk. It would help if you didn’t wait for the caulking to crack or chip because this may lead to other problems. Caulk is made from very sturdy materials, so it can be difficult to remove. A good option would be using a heat gun or hair dryer to soften the old caulk before scraping it off with a putty knife.

Clean Your Outdoor Fixtures

As the seasons change, cleaning your outdoor fixtures becomes more critical. With winter approaching, there are a few things you should do to ensure your fall home cleaning checklist is complete. One of those is taking care of all aspects of exterior maintenance to ensure everything works smoothly and efficiently once colder weather sets in. Cleaning your outdoor fixtures is one of those aspects that you should plan to take care of if you haven’t already. When you consider that a good number of people prefer the exterior of their homes to be inviting, it might seem counterproductive to scrub everything down until it looks spotless. However, there are several benefits to doing so, if only from a safety standpoint.

In addition to making your home look more aesthetically appealing all year round, cleaning your outdoor fixtures ensures they work correctly and function in the safest possible manner for you and your family. By taking a few minutes to clean and maintain everything from gutters, windows to doors and siding repairs, you lengthen their lifespan and ensure everything is in prime condition when winter weather comes around. Once the weather gets colder, you don’t want to face issues that can take time away from enjoying your home. While it might seem trivial in comparison, taking the time to clean your outdoor fixtures is yet another way you can keep your home warm and comfortable without having to worry about anything being out of order.

Winterize Your Lawn Mower

When you think of fall, you may picture changing leaves and chilly nights. But one important aspect of this fall home cleaning checklist is the act of preparing your lawn mower for winter storage. Take time to inspect your mower for any worn or frayed parts that need to be replaced before storing it away this winter. After all, you don’t want a broken or malfunctioning mower ruining your spring lawn. Since fall is the time of year when you typically use your lawn mower the most, now is a great time to take it in for its seasonal tune-up.

The service center will give your mower a thorough inspection and any necessary repairs before storing it away until springtime. Also, while you’re getting your lawn mower serviced, ask the technician to recommend any tips for winterizing your lawn mower. Winterizing is an important part of preparing your mower for long-term storage because it helps prevent damage caused by rust and corrosion. It also reduces the risk that animals will use your mower as a home during the winter months.

After you bring your lawn mower home from the service center, clean it thoroughly to remove any leftover grass clippings or debris, so they don’t cause damage during winter storage. Then pour a generous amount of light oil into the mower’s fuel tank and turn on the mower to allow it to run until all the oil has gone through the engine. Wait until the machine completely stops before turning it off, then drain any leftover oil to prevent condensation from forming inside your mower during storage. Ensure that your store is lockable using reliable locks from a reputable lock company.

Check Your Roof for Damage

The summer sun can be harsh on your roof. While roofs are designed to take the beating of heat, rain, and wind, they can still sustain damage if you aren’t careful. To help your roof last, it’s important to check your roof for damage before the weather gets cold. And a great way to do that is by cleaning from top to bottom on your fall home cleaning checklist. By checking your roof’s health and doing a few routine touch-ups, you can prevent the damage that leads to costly repairs in the future.

When checking your roof, you want to take note of any loose or missing shingles. Shingles that are severely cracked or curled can lead to leaks in your attic and ceiling. Not only is this an issue with the structure of your home, but it’s also something that you will have to pay for. You may need to replace shingles that are cracked or shredded – and this means more materials and labor time – which equals more money out of your pocket. Check for roof damage at least once a year, not just before winter sets in. These are some of the things that you should check for when checking your roof. By performing routine maintenance, you can save yourself a lot of time and money in the long run. You can also take the opportunity of checking your roof to carry out bat extermination. This is because these creatures like to hide on the roof.

Don’t Forget To Drain Your Hose Bibs

One of the most important cleaning tips in your fall home cleaning checklist is to check all hose bibs located at your home. These are used to drain gutters, water gardens, and other outdoor areas. By draining all the water out of these hose bibs, you ensure that they are not frozen. Frozen hoses can lead to burst pipes, which can cause significant damage to your home. Checking them is simple and easy for homeowners; all you need to do is go outside after rainfall or snowfall and check the hose’s bibs. This is important to do during the first two weeks of November.

Once you have gone outside, detach the hose from the bib. At the end of the hose is a small bucket. That bucket catches all of the water that drains out; check to make sure this bucket is not frozen. If it is frozen, allow some time for it to melt before removing it. After removing the ice, reattach the hose. If your faucet is not already turned on, turn it on to make sure water flows out of the hose bib. This simple action could save you lots of money for repairs and replacements. Once the weather starts to warm up, you can drain all the water from these hoses’ bibs.

Do a Serious Round of Vacuuming

When it comes to home cleaning, vacuuming isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, this is one of the most critical elements in your fall home cleaning checklist and it entails keeping your house clean during fall and winter, when there’s more time for indulging in sedentary activities like reading, watching TV and playing pianos. Just like dusting surfaces, vacuuming acts as a buffer for fine debris that could make its way onto your furniture and flooring. At this time of year, pet hair can become a severe issue if you don’t vacuum frequently enough. Suppose you have children; set aside time to help them with cleaning tasks like vacuuming, dusting, or kitchen chores. This will encourage them to participate in home cleaning and take ownership of their living space. It’s important to remember that vacuuming frequently doesn’t mean you need to spend hours working on it every time. Dusting surfaces once a week, sweeping or mopping floors at least twice a week, and thoroughly vacuuming your carpets every one to two months will help prevent the buildup of particles. Remember to wash your floor mats and change the batteries in your vacuum if necessary. Fall and winter are the perfect time for you to catch up on all those household chores that were put off during the hectic summer season. Having a clean and tidy home gives you peace of mind; it invites relaxation and reduces stress levels.

Declutter your Home

Fall is the perfect time to get your home in order. It’s also a great time of year to switch up your cleaning routine and fulfill your fall home cleaning checklist. After all, with the changing seasons comes a completely new set of dirt and germs. The best way to make sure your home is clean and healthy this fall is through decluttering. Decluttering allows you to focus on cleaning in the places that need it most. And when your place is cluttered with extra items, you can give them all a proper deep clean. You’ll be surprised at how even the slightest change in your cleaning routine can significantly impact the cleanliness of your home.

Tossing out all those extra items will also free up additional space for you to dust, mop and vacuum. And let’s face it: You probably spend more time cleaning than organizing, so less stuff means less work! Decluttering is a great way to cut down on the time you spend cleaning, as well as the amount of energy it takes to do so. Throw away those old clothes and shoes. Weed out those books from your shelves that you’ll never read again. And don’t be afraid to donate items that are still in good condition but that you don’t need anymore. You can even donate your car for an extra incentive to get rid of all the things you no longer use. By decluttering your home this fall, you’ll have a much easier time keeping it clean through the winter months when allergies and germs are at their peak.

Cleaning Up Flower Beds

Fall is the time when many homeowners take the opportunity to clean up their flowerbeds. This is typically the time of year when leaves are falling, and most plants are dormant. There’s no better opportunity to get rid of old cuttings or perennials that have died off. A clean bed makes it easy for new plants to be put in place throughout the winter. This goes a long way to materializing your fall home cleaning checklist. It also gives homeowners a chance to take care of weeds that have sprouted up over the warm summer months. It’s also an excellent time to plant flowers that will bloom next spring, like tulips and daffodils. The bulbs can be put into the ground now so that they play the role of soil stabilizer. Most importantly, a clean flower bed will have less work to do next spring. This means not raking up old leaves and twigs or trying to remove stubborn weeds from the middle of a flower garden. In case you are stuck on how to go about this duty, you can always seek the opinion of arborists, most of whom happen to have in-depth knowledge of trees and matters of landscaping.

There is no doubt that fall ushers in the festive season. Because of this, it is critical for every homeowner to do their best to ensure that their homes are properly cleaned and maintained in readiness for the festive season. However, achieving this objective is not easy without having a comprehensive fall home cleaning checklist. This article serves as an excellent practical cleaning tip for fall.