Your Ultimate Top-to-Bottom Fall Cleaning Checklist

Do you feel it? The crisper mornings, the colder nights. Pumpkin Spice has hit the shelves, and apple picking has commenced. Fall is definitely in the air! And we are totally here for it. With any season change comes the inevitable deep cleaning and reorganization of your household. It’s a way to start fresh, start clean, and start anew with the changing season. It’s time to get clean and cozy as the cold weather settles in.

But on that note…where do you start? Well, have no fear! Our Ultimate Fall Cleaning Checklist is here! We’ve done the work for you and created a handy dandy room-by-room checklist to make your fall cleaning routine and reorganization transition easy breezy lemon squeezy. You’ll enjoy a Pumpkin Spice Latte and play in the fall leaves with your kiddos before you know it.

Here’s our Ultimate Fall Cleaning List to make your seasonal cleaning easier:

---

Kitchen Cleaning

As soon as fall starts, you know the holidays are quickly approaching, which means you will likely be in the kitchen a lot! Cooking, baking, souping, drinking. So, it’s the perfect time to get your kitchen ready for these activities by cleaning a couple of areas that are often forgotten about throughout the year:

1. Deep clean the oven.
2. Clean and organize the inside and outside of your refrigerator and freezer (don’t forget about the garage or basement fridge as well!). Get rid of expired condiments, things no one actually likes after trying them but ended up stuffed in the back corner of the refrigerator. (Remove everything from the front of your refrigerator for a quick and fresh decluttered look. Try putting it on the side of your refrigerator and see how pulled together it makes the kitchen feel.)
3. Pantry Cleanout – donate any non-perishables you don’t plan to use soon to your local food pantry. Again, get rid of any expired food; and snacks your kids were totally into months ago but are no longer interested in munching on now.
4. Clean the hood vent.
5. Wipe down cabinets, and clean drawer pulls.
6. Clean the splatters on the inside of the microwave. Running the microwave with a mixture of lemon, vinegar, and water in a microwave-safe container will help loosen up any seriously stuck stains and splatters. 
7. Clean your coffee pot. Did you know this is one of your home’s top 10 dirtiest items?!! When was the last time you changed the filter in your Keurig? Or descaled it? Now is the time. Same thing with your Nespresso machine. Give them some serious love – they’re even more critical this time of year.
8. Give your kitchen chairs a good wipe-down to remove greasy fingerprints!
9. Check the drain trap in your dishwasher and clear out any debris. This is also a great time to change/clean the dishwasher filter.
10. Throw a lemon or lime in your garbage disposal too!

PS: Speaking of the holidays, do you need some guidance on how to include your kids in the holiday preparation or how to have a kid-friendly Thanksgiving? Check out our blogs for more info!

---

Living Room Cleaning

With colder weather on its way, you’ll be spending a lot more time indoors and potentially hosting more guests for the holidays, so make sure your living room is clean and cozy! 

1. Clean your fireplace or have the chimney professionally cleaned. You’ll definitely want to start using it soon.
2. Dust all hard surfaces. Make sure you’re looking up! – check those light fixtures and ceiling fans, too.
3. Get out your cozy blankets and give them a quick wash. They’ll be getting a ton of use before you know it.
4. Give your furniture a good vacuuming. Many vacuums have special attachments to make this a breeze.
5. Have your carpets and/or rugs cleaned—rent a carpet cleaning machine or have someone do it for you.
6. If you have slipcovers on couches or chairs, wash them!
7. Snag any dust accumulation. A Swiffer Duster works great for this. Again, look up and check the corners of the room. This is a great task for your little ones to help with. Just toss the duster and all the dust away when you’re done!
8. Thoroughly and gently wipe down houseplant leaves.
9. Unpack, clean, and display seasonal decor. 

PS: We give you full permission to spend all the money on cute fall decor from Target. It’s officially part of your fall cleaning checklist. You’re welcome.

---

Related articles:

• Things You Can Teach Kids to Clean So You Don’t Have To
• How to Create a Cleaning Schedule: Bonus Template Included
• 10 Tips for Keeping a Clean House With Kids

---

Guest Room and Guest Bathroom Cleaning

It’s the time of the year when you will probably be hosting overnight guests, so you’ll want to ensure you are ready ahead of time. That way, you’ll be totally prepared when Aunt Sally arrives unexpectedly for a holiday visit! Your fall cleaning checklist should include:

1. Dust all of the hard surfaces. Again, make sure to look up and get the light fixtures and ceiling fans.
2. Vacuum the rugs and/or carpets. 
3. Wash, change and replace guest bedding and towels. 
4. Clean the guest bathroom and refill guest toiletries. Now is a great time to wash the shower curtain and liner or swap them out for a festive holiday shower curtain.
5. Optional: Make the room feel like a hotel.
   • Include a small welcome basket with plush towels, small luxury toiletries, snacks, and a book. Don’t forget any television remotes and the wifi password. Wifi is a must. Adding some seasonal decor will definitely spruce up the room, as well.

---

Bedroom Cleaning 

There shouldn’t be too much to do in your bedrooms since it’s likely part of your normal cleaning routine, but you’ll want to make sure you accomplish these few things as part of your fall cleaning checklist so you and the little ones are all prepared for the fall season. Check out this blog if the bedrooms need a more thorough cleaning at this time – the thinking has been done for you. Just check tasks off as you go!

1. Wash and switch bed linens to warmer sheets and comforters (flannel is sooooooo cozy!), or add another blanket layer. 
2. Swap out your summer clothes for warm and comfy fall clothes (and boots! yay!). 

PRO TIP: Make sure to do this for the kids too. You may want to try things on them since those little ones grow so fast. Their clothes from last fall probably won’t fit this year! Think about donating them or gifting them to someone you know. Completing this as early as possible will prepare you for that expected but unexpected temperature dip. 

Make sure to get your kids involved in the fall cleaning checklist and tasks too! Here’s a helpful blog that covers how they can help!

---

Bathroom Cleaning

Probably (Definitely) not the most glamorous aspect of your fall cleaning checklist, but a necessary one! Along with the basic cleaning, here are some other tasks you should do this time of year:

1. A little random, but something you probably haven’t done in a while: swap out your toothbrush or change the toothbrush head on your electric one! The ADA recommends that toothbrushes or electric toothbrush heads be changed every three to four months. 
2. Throw out old, expired or unused medications (make sure to take a look at diaper rash ointments and other baby lotions or creams!). And makeup – most of us never remember to check expiration dates. Real Simple Magazine has a comprehensive article outlining makeup and toiletry expiration dates.
3. Refill cotton swabs, toilet paper stock, cotton balls, etc. 
4. Wash and replace all towels and hand towels. 
5. Give the tub and shower a good scrub. It’s probably been too long. Wash the shower curtain and liner as well.
6. Deep clean and sanitize the bath toys! Get rid of any that don’t come clean or your kids haven’t played with in a while.

---

Outside Cleaning and Tasks

You may be sad to say so long to summer, but trust us, you’ll be enjoying all that fall (and winter) has to offer soon! Packing up and “winterizing” your outdoor area and backyard is part of saying goodbye to summer. Here’s a good list to start with:

1. Clean and cover, or pack up, your
   patio furniture and outdoor toys. Remember to clean and store away the kids’ toys, too. All the toys. 
2. Drain and winterize your pool.
3. Do an irrigation system blowout (you’ll likely need a professional for this!).
4. Turn off and unhook hoses, so they don’t freeze and crack your water lines.
5. Rake and bag fallen leaves. (Don’t forget to jump in them before you bag!)
6. Do one last mow of your grass and then pack up all the garden equipment.
7. Winterize your garage: sweep put mats down to absorb snow melt, and pull out winter gear, shovels, snowblower, and sleds. You never know when that first snow is going to come!
8. Clean the BBQ and cover it up for the end of the BBQ season.
9. Check and add weather stripping around your home where needed.
10. Clean out the rain gutters (or have them professionally cleaned).

---

Household Tasks and Maintenance 

During a busy summer, you probably didn’t have much time to do a lot of basic household “refill” chores. So take some time now to swap and update a few things: 

1. Change your HVAC filter. 
2. Stock up on candles and matches/lighters (in case of power outages due to fall and winter weather).
3. Stock up on extra batteries and flashlights and change batteries in flashlights you already have (again, in case of power outages).?.
4. Stock up on sidewalk salt to prepare for the first big snow!
5. Test smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace batteries. The US Fire Administration recommends testing monthly and changing the batteries at least once a year. Coupling this task with changing our clocks with daylight savings is a great way to remember this important safety task.
6. Turn on your heater and ensure it’s working properly—sometimes it smells a bit the first time it’s used after a few months off! 

You may also want to consider getting your baby gear cleaned! Your summer adventures probably included a lot of sand, dirt, and snacks on the road. So add your baby gear to your fall cleaning checklist and either give your car seat and stroller a deep clean yourself -OR- hire the professionals at BabyQuip Cleaning to do it for you!

These fall cleaning tasks sound totally doable, right? We think so! Take a few days at the beginning of the fall season to complete this fall cleaning checklist, and you’ll be all set for football, Halloween, and all the other fall activities!

Want to do a serious deep clean this time of year? Go for it! Here’s an awesome blog about creating a cleaning schedule with a bonus schedule provided.