Ultimate Fall Cleaning Guide: How to Plan and Prepare Your Home for the Cozy Season
Fall is here, and that means it's time for a good deep clean! As the crisp air rolls in and the leaves start to fall, there’s no better time to refresh your home and get it ready for the coziest season of the year. In this post, I’m sharing the ultimate fall cleaning guide with 10 easy steps to help you declutter, deep clean, and create a warm, inviting space. From room-by-room cleaning to preparing for fall baking, let’s dive into getting your home spotless and stylish for the season!
1. Purge and Declutter Room By Room
The best way to kick off any seasonal cleaning is by tackling it room-by-room rather than diving into the whole house at once. Trust me, nothing creates chaos and exhaustion faster than trying to deep clean every nook and cranny in one go! If your last deep clean was back in spring, chances are you’ve accumulated a fresh batch of stuff, some you need, and some you definitely don’t. Start by purging and decluttering. Take stock of what you have and reorganize as needed. If you already have organizing systems in place, this is a great time to give them a little upkeep.
Think of your bedroom with magazines piling up in the nightstand or cosmetics scattered on the dresser. Sort through everything, ditch the expired or rarely-used items, and keep only what truly adds value. For your closet, consider swapping out your summer wardrobe for fall and winter if you live in a colder climate. I swear by this storage box to store all our seasonal wardrobe. After I store away the clothes, I make sure to add these cedar wood blocks in the boxes to keep it pest free and smelling nice!
This seasonal swap saves time and keeps off-season clothes safely stored away, free from dust. Plus, it's a great way to refresh your space and get into the fall spirit!
Pro Tip: Hang fall-scented wardrobe fresheners among your clothes to instantly bring the cozy vibes of fall into your closet!
2. Deep Clean High-Traffic Area Around The House
High-traffic areas like entryways, garages, kitchens, and living or media rooms get a lot of use and can easily collect dust, dirt, and germs. Deep cleaning these spaces is essential for keeping a fresh, healthy home especially if you have kids or pets! While you may already be regularly dusting and tidying up these areas, fall cleaning calls for a deeper approach.
If you have an entryway cabinet for shoes, empty it out and give it a thorough wipe-down with a fragrant multi-purpose cleaner. (Bonus points if you clean all the shoes too, but that step is totally optional, haha!) In the living room, pull all the furniture away from the walls and take up the rug to vacuum and mop underneath. Those hidden spots can get surprisingly dirty! Don’t forget to steam clean and vacuum the couches as well. And here’s a must-do: dust and clean those baseboards. You’d be amazed at how much dust they can collect!
Pro Tip: Keep a Swiffer Duster with a long handle in your cleaning arsenal for reaching tricky spots like baseboards or ceiling fans. It’s a back-saver!
3. Wash Windows And Clean Light Fixtures
Windows, especially on the exterior side, have seen their fair share of rain, wind, and grime by the time fall comes around. If your windows are anything like mine (and if you have a two-story home), they probably don’t look great when you glance up to catch a beautiful fall sky! And then there are the light fixtures. The chandeliers, pendant lights, etc. If they’re hanging in the kitchen or other high-traffic areas, they've probably collected a fair amount of dust and grease, making them look dull and in desperate need of a good, gentle scrub.
When it comes to cleaning windows, I swear by microfiber cloths (these are the consistent BEST SELLERS on Amazon). They do an excellent job at getting rid of all those smudges without leaving streaks and are an eco-friendly choice too. As for light fixtures, I love using a good degreaser for the pendants over the kitchen island. It helps loosen up all that accumulated dust and grease, and then I just gently go around the shape with a microfiber cloth. It’s amazing how much brighter the room looks after that!
Pro Tip: A window cleaning kit is a must-have especially if you have a lot of windows in your home. This window cleaning kit is a life-saver!
4. Clean Air Vents And Replace Filters
Deep cleaning isn't always about the glamorous tasks, but some steps are crucial for keeping a healthy and fresh home environment like cleaning air vents and replacing air filters. In our house, this is one of those tasks that gets delegated. My husband handles replacing the filters because, let’s be honest, there’s no way I’m climbing up into the attic to do that haha! What I do instead is vacuum the air vents or give them a thorough dusting with a microfiber cloth. You wouldn’t believe how fresh the whole house feels after doing this!
Fall cleaning is the perfect time to make sure the air you’re breathing inside your home is clean. Plus, while you’re at it, it’s smart to check your heating system. You don’t want to find out your heater is broken when the cold weather kicks in. And honestly, if I could sneak a big cotton ball dipped in essential oils into the vents to make the air smell amazing, I totally would! But I guess a good room freshener will have to do!
5. Clean Gutters And Make Sure They’re Running Smoothly
Speaking of not-so-glamorous fall cleaning jobs, let’s talk about cleaning gutters! If you live in a colder climate where fall comes in full swing, you know that with those beautiful autumn leaves comes a not-so-beautiful downside, clogged gutters! The leaves seem to have a knack for settling right in those gutters, making this one of those dreaded but necessary tasks.
While you’ll probably need to clean your gutters more frequently during the fall season, getting them nice and clean before the leaves really start to fall can save you a ton of time and hassle later on. If it’s been a while since your last clean, now’s the time! Grab a sturdy ladder, slip on a good pair of gloves, and start cleaning the gutters. It’s not glamorous, but your future self (and your home’s drainage system) will thank you!
PIN IT & READ IT LATER!
6. Ensure The Fireplace & Chimney Are All Set
If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace, now’s the time to get it ready for those chilly fall nights. Make sure to sweep out any ash and check the chimney for any blockages or buildup. If it’s been a while, it might be a good idea to hire a professional chimney sweep. Getting this step done means you'll be ready to enjoy those first fires of the season, complete with hot cocoa and a good book.
I don’t have a fireplace in my home, so there unfortunately isn’t much personal tip or advice that I could give! But I certainly hope to have a fireplace even though I live in a warm climate region, it’s certainly a beautiful element to have in your home especially for the winter months.
7. Deep Clean, Steam Clean Rugs, Carpets & Upholstery
I have to admit, one of my personal pet peeves is walking on a carpet that hasn’t been deep cleaned! I adore wooden floors for this reason, but not everyone has that luxury. If you’re a decor enthusiast, I’m sure you have a lot of rugs around the house. It might be time to take out the steam cleaner! I swear by my Bissell steam cleaner and find myself using it more often than I probably should; there’s just no such thing as too clean, right?
For fall, I wish there were fall-scented cleaning solutions, but really, any fragrance will do as long as it leaves everything deeply cleaned. This is especially true if you have kids and pets; those rugs, carpets, and couches are in desperate need of a good wash. There’s nothing better than walking barefoot on a freshly cleaned and dried carpet or rug. It smells divine, feels immaculate, and provides a perfect blank canvas for decorating your home for fall!
8. Clean Your Bedding & Mattress
Something that goes without saying, but I’ll go ahead and say it anyway….clean that mattress! It’s unbelievable how much dust, mites, and dead skin can accumulate in there over time. If you're up for a bit of a workout, go ahead and deep clean those pillows too. Soaking them in the bathtub can be oddly satisfying. Ever find yourself lost in a loop of those pillow-cleaning videos? Same here!
As for the mattress, I can’t recommend enough the bestselling mattress vacuum cleaner on Amazon that everyone is raving about. It’s a game-changer for getting a truly deep clean. This entire ordeal will set the stage for styling your bed with cozy fall layers!
9. Swap Out Soft Furnishings Around The House
Now that all the essential deep cleaning is out of the way, it’s time for the fun part - the seasonal decor! This is hands-down my favorite step. If you’re a home decor enthusiast like me, you know there’s nothing quite like the magic of layering with soft furnishings to bring that cozy, inviting vibe to your home. Think throw blankets, throw pillows, tablecloths, napkins, quilts.
Swap out those light summer fabrics for rich, warm, and textured ones. Bring in those chunky knit throws, velvet pillows in deep, earthy tones, plaid table runners, and heavier quilts that scream fall. It’s all about creating that layered look that feels both luxurious and cozy. So bring out all your fall favorites that’ll make your home feel like a warm, welcoming hug!
Related: 23 Fall Inspirations To Swoon Over!
10. Stock Up Your Pantry With Fall Supplies!
If you're into fall baking and cooking, this step is an absolute must and it’s also one of the most fun parts of prepping for fall! Think all-purpose flour, pumpkin spice, fall coffee staples, creamers, and all those cozy ingredients that make fall flavors come alive. Get them all stocked up and organized in your pantry. Bonus points if you store them in cute little bins and containers. If you have a coffee station in your kitchen, give it a seasonal refresh with fall decor and supplies. Nothing says “welcome to fall” like a perfectly decorated coffee nook, ready to serve up all the pumpkin spice lattes and cinnamon flavored treats!
Pro Tip: Have all your favorite fall recipes and recipe cards ready to go. It’s a huge time-saver and makes whipping up seasonal dishes a breeze!
There you have it! An ultimate guide to fall cleaning with tips and tricks to make it easy peesey. What’s your fall cleaning routine?
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