Fall Home Cleaning

With summer gone, it is time to prepare for fall home cleaning! Summer is the busiest season for many and that means lots of dirt, grime, and dust buildup in places you do not normally reach with a weekly or daily cleaning.

Here is a list of things to remember to help you get ready for the fall.

Fall Home Cleaning Tip #1: Remember Your Baseboards

Summer is typically the busiest month for many with family and friends constantly coming and going. This increase in foot traffic tends to lead toward the buildup of dust and muck on the baseboards around your home.

To clean them off, use a dusting cloth to get the surface dust followed by a damp rag or paper towel to scrub away the grime.

Fall Home Cleaning Tip #2: Protect Your Floors from Mud

With fall weather comes rain, snow, and typically lots of mud which can track into your home and quickly cake on, making a difficult-to-clean mess. To prepare, there are a few things you should consider protecting the interior of your home.

Prepare Your Entryways: You might want to consider laying down mats and rugs right inside doorways and have a place for people to place shoes, boots, etc., so they do not wear them into the home.

Mop Regularly: It is a fact of life that dirt and mud will track in at some point. So, you must mop regularly, especially near doorways, to make sure dirt does not cake on and build-up to create something difficult to remove.

Fall Home Cleaning Tip #3: Clean Windows & Screens

Between the bugs, pollen, and dirt of the summer months, your windows and window screens are most likely full of dirt and grime.

For windows, a simple store-bought cleaning mixture and some paper towels should do the trick to relieve them of the dust and grime buildup over the summer.

To clean your screens, the most effective way is to remove them completely and follow these steps:

• After removing, you will probably want to take them outside so the dust and dirt cleaned off does not build up back inside your home.

• Next, vacuum the loose dust off of them with either a handheld vacuum or a handheld attachment.

• Then, use soapy water and wipe them off with a rag or towel. After that, you can rinse them off simply with a hose or by wiping them again with clean water.

• One more round of vacuuming to dry and pick up any looser articles from the screens.

Screens can quickly collect all kinds of dirt over just a few months, especially after a long summer, so it is important to give them a quick cleaning in the fall.

Fall Home Cleaning Tip #4: Clean Out Chimneys and Fireplaces

Fall is the perfect time of year to hang out by the fire while the temperatures drop outside. But, before you start building a fire, make sure you have cleaned the fireplace. You need to make sure all loose soot and debris are cleared out and that you have removed and cleaned all grates and andirons.

After that, you will want to scrub the walls with a hard-bristled brush to remove the soot and grime that may have built up over the months it was not in use. Be sure to cover the bottom of the fireplace with a newspaper or something to catch the falling debris.

Fall Home Cleaning Tip #5: Clear Out Your Gutters

Fall is a difficult time for the gutters on your home. With a mixture of falling leaves, rainwater, snow, hail, and freezing temperatures all possible, your gutters will be working hard. Make sure you clean them thoroughly at the beginning of the season to make sure they are in fighting shape to battle the elements and do their jobs.

Here are a few tips to help you give them the best possible cleaning:

• Use a ‘gutter scoop’ or another small scoop to get the debris out from inside. Make sure to clear all the spaces so water can flow smoothly.
• Flush your gutters with a garden hose to clear out hidden debris and to make sure water can get through every pipe.
• Lastly, do a visual inspection to make sure you do not have any loose or sagging metals. You can also take a look at any weather damage from the summer storms.

Fall is the perfect time to do a quick deep cleaning to clean out the dust and grime from summer and prepare your home for the approaching cold weather months.

To prepare your home for fall, get in touch with the home cleaning specialists at The Heiser Group.

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