5 Useful Fall Cleaning Tips That Will Really Make You Holiday Ready

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​Time to get ready for the holiday season? Check out these 5 fall cleaning tips to help you prepare for the busy (and most wonderful) seasons coming up!

Right around the beginning of October, I start to feel the urge to do some cleaning out and cleaning up!  Perhaps it’s the little break in the weather or perhaps it’s the knowledge that my favorite seasons are (literally) on my doorstep.  And I want to be ready!

All of the fun and special holidays that are coming up in these next few months are much more enjoyable to me if I’ve prepared ahead of time.

And a big part of that preparation is having my house in order!

Ideally, this would happen in the summer when we are a little less busy or after the holiday rush.  But it’s just simply too hot in the summer and after the holidays just leaves me a little overwhelmed.

So October it is!  Hopefully, we will find a weekend this month to do a big yard sale, but if not, at least all of those treasures will be packed away, set aside, out of my house, and ready for a winter yard sale.

January and February are the BEST yard sale months in South Florida!!!

But, I’m getting ahead of myself just a bit!  Let’s back up to the actual fall cleaning tips and the 5 “must-do” things on my list to help me get my house holiday!

 

Fall Cleaning Tip #1

Clear the clutter.

If I only get one thing done off the list during October, it’s this one: Clear the clutter.

There is nothing more overwhelming in my house than pulling out all the seasonal decor for fall and Christmas, then the gifts, then all the new things, etc., etc., etc.  But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming if I’ve gotten rid of the old, tired, broken way ahead of time!

There are a few key areas where I try to make sure and clear the clutter during my fall cleaning.

#1: Toys

Who can relate here?  Now maybe you don’t have kids at home anymore and this will be a quick step for you to move past.  However, consider entertainment items as toys too.  Puzzles, games, magazines, books….it all counts!

When my kids were really little, I tackled this step solo.  I mean, for real.  It is impossible to get rid of any toys with your kids around!  Right?!

Now that they are a little older, they are great to help me get the job done quickly.  They go through all of the playroom drawers, toy closet, and bookshelves.  We sort the toys into four areas:

  • Broken/stained/discard
  • Sentimental to be neatly stored in the attic
  • Toys that are still played with to be reorganized and put away
  • Toys that are no longer played with to be put in the yard sale or consignment pile

#2: Kitchen

I want to be able to really enjoy our kitchen for the holidays!  Lots of backing, entertaining, present-wrapping, as well as everyday life will be happening in this space!  I go through these areas and clear the clutter:

  • Dishes or serving pieces that I don’t use
  • Pantry
  • Any odds and ends that have stacked up (I try to not have a junk drawer for this very reason, but there are inevitably little things that have gotten tucked here and there!)
  • Quickly reorganize any areas that have gotten messy

#3: Office

Now, we don’t technically have an actual home office.  That means that we have to be extra intentional about keeping the spaces where we use and store home office types of things clean, neat, and organized!

I try to routinely go through these spaces and before the craziness of the holiday season hits is definitely a time that I want to set aside to reorganize!  As I’m tidying these spots, I also make note of supplies that I need to stock up on, such as tape, scissors, craft supplies, paper, stamps, and envelopes.

Fall Cleaning Tip #2

Clear the closets.

Cleaning out closets is one of my least favorite things to do.  But it’s also a really important one, so I’ve included it in my fall cleaning tips list!  

I really do make an effort to keep things organized as we go.  If I can reasonably stay on top of things through the year, these cleaning out times can be fairly quick and a little less painful!

I start with my kids’ closets because those are the ones that need done the most often.  I try to follow this formula, at least roughly, to help me stay organized.

  • Summer clothing items: keep, toss, consign/yard sale.  Since we are at the end of that season, I have a pretty good idea if there is an item that they can use again or pass down, or if it needs to be gotten rid of entirely.
  • Go through fall/winter clothing items to see what can still be used.  Make lists of essentials that need to be purchased.
  • Pull out bins of “hand-me-down” shoes and clothing to see what could be used this season.
  • Overall, tidy the closets.  (In other words, get all the stuff that doesn’t belong in the closet but has somehow gotten pushed in the corner OUTTA THERE!)

I also have my kids go through their pjs, socks, and other items.  We like to use over-the-door organizers to save space in their closets.

Rather than typical dresser drawers, Harrison uses these and it has worked really well for him.  It’s a lot easier for him to keep them tidy on his own!

I do a quick clean out of the following closets as well:

  • Game/puzzle closet (make space for new games at Christmas!)
  • Linen closet (make note of anything that needs refreshed or replaced)
  • Cleaning/laundry closet (generally just a quick tidying of this spot)
  • Coat closet (the dreaded job of making everyone try on the coats and jackets to see what still fits and what needs replaced)
  • In general, remove things that are out of place, tidy, straighten, and refresh these spots!

Fall cleaning tips wouldn’t be complete without some organizing tools!

We use over-the-door organizers in several of these closets as well.  This one works great for small games and card games.  I like this one for the linen closet because I can roll up individual items in the pockets rather than worry about stacks on a shelf (which seem to always get messy!)

Fall Cleaning Tip #3

Clear the storage.

Ugh.  This is so not my favorite one.  And to be honest, it’s the one we have the hardest time with.  Our attic has a lot of storage possibilities but we have a long way to go before we’ve really utilized them well.  Time and money!

Hopefully over this next year, we will be able to finish laying the rest of the attic flooring and that will help us to be able to spread things out into definitive zones.  Once that is done, we will be able to more easily accomplish this fall cleaning tip!

In the meantime, we pulled out almost everything from the attic and resorted, reorganized, and recategorized.  As we did this, we pulled out things that we know we don’t need to keep anymore.  It is a huge goal of ours to keep the attic space more manageable!

One thing that I do each season to help me keep my decor organized is to completely empty the bins.  If I didn’t use it to decorate for the season, it goes into a “get rid of” pile.  Of course, there are random things that I know I will use or have sentimental value.  But for the most part, I get really picky about this.

It helps me keep seasonal decor in check and under control!

As I store away and get out seasonal items, we try to keep them neatly packed and sorted.  We have transitioned all of our bins to these, as they are super heavy-duty and stack nicely.  My husband isn’t a picky guy, but it does make him very happy when the bins stack neatly and don’t slip and slide all over the place!

Favorite storage totes: HERE!

Fall Cleaning Tip #4

Deep clean each space.

If I had my way, my whole house would be deep cleaned every week.  What can I say?  A clean house makes me feel good!

Since that simply cannot happen, I try to make sure that it happens at least each season.  As I change and refresh decor, I give a good deep cleaning to those spaces and it helps me break the tasks down too!

I also try to make sure the following gets done:

  • Wipe out drawers/cabinets
  • Clean all baseboards
  • Clean all plantation shutters
  • Move and dust all surfaces
  • Mop/vacuum under all furniture

I also like to deep clean all of my rugs.  This year, I got the new Hoover Dual Spin Pet Carpet Cleaner.  It does an amazing job and I know I’ll be using it a lot to keep my rugs looking fresh and clean.  Even though it says for pets, it works fabulously for people messes too!😉. It’s definitely a deep cleaning tool that I am glad I added to my arsenal and highly recommend!

Fall Cleaning Tip #5

Refresh the essentials.

I used to always refresh all of my essentials in January because that just seems to be when the retail cycle reminds us to do so!  I definitely do a lot of restocking then and we always need it after the busy holiday season beforehand.

However, I like to do a quick refresh and stock up in the fall as well.  The busy days from November-December just seem easier when we have what we need, already on hand, and conveniently organized!

It is also a good chance to buy some of my favorites in fall and winter scents.  I grab a few extra of these hand soaps and dish soap, along with a fresh supply of cleaning towels.  I also pick up a bottle of this cleaning spray for those quick touch ups.  It makes everything smell good and “fall fresh”!

Maybe the most important of all of my fall cleaning tips is to remind you to pick up a favorite fall candle!  At the end of the day, whether I accomplish my whole list or make my list to try again the next day, I can make myself and our whole home feel and smell extra cozy with a good candle!

This is my favorite fall candle and I always stock up on an extra one too!

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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