When was the last time you did a deep clean of your home? Check out our free printable indoor fall cleaning checklist to help you get back on track.
I'll be the first to admit that I don't enjoy cleaning at all. I do a lot of light cleaning and everyday pickups but I'm a big procrastinator when it comes to deep cleaning.
I hold myself accountable by doing at least one deep clean every season. Otherwise, I tend to procrastinate to the point of things never getting cleaned. Yuck.
Free Printable Indoor Fall Cleaning Checklist
This free printable indoor fall cleaning checklist can help you get back on track if you're like me. You can download the print-ready PDF from our site here or at Google Documents. Our check list is for personal use only and may not be republished without permission.
It's important to me to have a clean home for us and our cats to enjoy even though I don't enjoy cleaning. I don't seek out to have an immaculately clean home by far, but a neat and tidy home seems to make life happier.
It's not something you have to tackle all in one day. This is why I like having a cleaning checklist so I can mark off chores as I go. You can find everything that I clean on that list but here's a highlight of a few that are especially important to me.
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1. Deep clean all flooring. We get a lot of rain here on the coast this time of year, especially since tropical weather is more active right now.
That means a lot of muddy shoe messes and even paw prints from the cats coming in from the screened in porch. Plus I will admit that I can make quite the mess cooking and, well, the struggle with cat puke and hairballs is real.
I obviously regularly sweep and lightly mop. A good thorough vacuum and mop (or carpet cleaning) are needed too. I've tried so many mops over the years but the one I keep coming back to is the Wonder Mop from The Libman Company.
The Libman Company has been family-owned for 120 years and their products are USA-made so you know they have to be good. It holds up really well to both our human and pet messes aka I get several cleanings out of each mop head.
My achy back also loves the built in wringer that lets me wring out more water from the mop so the floors also dry faster.
2. Clean your appliances and under/behind them. It's said that you should clean under/behind your appliances like your refrigerator at least once a year.
Please, please do this. Our refrigerator was starting to be really loud with some funky noises. We pulled it out and took off the back plate and holy wow to all the dust and fur and stuff that we found inside.
I was mortified at how thick it was - inches here, people! So I vacuumed it all out. Now the refrigerator isn't making weird noises and is running much quieter and likely more efficiently, too.
After what I saw, you can bet I won't be forgetting this one next year.
3. Clean out your pantry, medicine cabinet, etc. I'm short so I can't even reach the top shelves of our cabinets and pantry. That means things on those shelves can go bad because I can't see them easily.
Take the time to go through your pantry, refrigerated condiments, and medications to see what is expired and needs to be thrown away or needs to be used up soon. This will also help you see what you may need to replenish before holiday baking season starts.
4. Declutter summer items. As we start transitioning to cooler weather it's the perfect time to declutter your entryway, mudroom, and closets of summer items.
Store items you want to keep. Donate or sell items that are in good condition but you no longer use. Toss things that are overly worn or broken and not worth repairing instead of leaving them lying around.
5. Change/clean filters and batteries. This is an important thing to do that we all easily forget about.
You never want to take for granted that your smoke, carbon monoxide or other life-saving detectors are working properly. Take the time to test that they are working and replace the batteries if it's been a while.
It's also a good time to change, or clean if applicable, the filters for things like your heating system, air purifiers, water filters, and even vacuums. This usually helps them run more efficiently as well.
Also, don't forget about your dryer vent and hose. These can start a fire if not properly maintained. If you use dryer sheets you may need to use a cleaning brush and detergent on the lint trap. Dryer sheets can create a film on the trap.
Find these and more fall cleaning tips on our free printable indoor fall cleaning checklist!
What are some of the things you make sure to clean every fall?