Fall Cleaning: 6 tasks to get your home ready for the season ahead

Once we reach the middle of September I feel the need to purge a little and  do a quick Fall cleaning before the busy holiday season gets too close. Here is a list of my top 6 tasks for September to get our home ready for the Fall and Winter months ahead.

1.  Clean and organize the kitchen

I pay particular attention to the refrigerator and pantry as our food choices begin to change.  Dark greens, turnips, and potatoes will replace the summer veggies and the pantry will require a good wipe down to make room for canned pumpkin, stewed tomatoes, and broth for warm, nurturing foods like hearty stews, and  veggie curry   If you are able to wipe counter tops down frequently, surfaces will generally stay cleaner and require less or no strong cleaners. If you have little ones, think about what they touch and put in their mouth.  Harsh detergents contain strong chemicals that are not good for the skin or to breath. Instead of traditional household cleaners I use a natural spray that is safe to breath, doesn’t harm the environment, and it’s easy on the skin.  Using an electromagnetic cleaning cloth is also helpful.  Traditional cloth simply pushes dust and debris around while electromagnetic material actually picks up the dirt particles.  Search here and here for options. Personally,  I’ve found the *Norwex brand to work the best.  Using the right cloth to clean makes all the difference!

*The silver in the Norwex cloth is not meant to disinfect the surface.  It’s designed to inhibit bacterial growth, mold, and mildew in the cloth itself as it dries over a 24-hour period. The premise is that the microfiber picks up even the tiniest particles and organisms when it’s wet, including some germs, which are then rinsed down the drain when you rinse the cloth out. It’s said that the cloth then disinfects itself naturally while it dries and awaits your next use. I always wash my cloth on the gentle cycle after each use and allow to hang dry.

2. Clean your range

I remove all stove top parts, soak, and scrub the pieces. I use Ms. Meyers and my Norwex cloth to wipe the top surface and a scrub sponge to clean the grills.  The inside of the oven is cleaned with a combination of baking soda and water.

Natural Oven Cleaner: Mix 1 part water to 3 parts baking soda to make a paste.  Spread evenly over the surface of your oven and allow to sit overnight or as many hours as your can.  Wipe clean and then spray down with vinegar and water (1:1).

3. Clean and organize your refrigerator and pantry

Remove everything from the refrigerator and then give all surfaces a good wipe down.  Purchase containers for food storage if needed.  For the pantry,  I remove everything and wipe down the shelves with my Norwex Cloth and natural cleaning spray.  Before I put everything back make sure you check for expired items.  We don’t usually have long periods of time with snow but just in case, I always store extra canned products in the pantry beginning in October.

4. Get the mud room ready for winter

We check our storage baskets for beanies, caps, and hand warmers.  Extra towels come in handy to dry off Layla so I keep a bunch rolled up in a basket. Umbrellas, rain boots, snow boots, and jackets are close and ready for the cooler days ahead

5.  Put summer tees away and make light sweaters and cardigans more accessible for the cooler weather

Once I remove my sweaters from their zipped containers, I’ll be washing my cashmere and wool items with Grove Concentrated Detergent.  I also like the Laundress Cashmere and Wool Shampoo but it’s a bit pricier.

6. Yard clean up

Remove the outdoor pillows and store in zip containers if you are planning on reusing them.  Store furniture for the winter and remove the summer plants from your planters.  Before I purchase anything, I like to remove as much as possible so I’m officially beginning with a clean slate. Even though there will be lots of leaf blowing ahead we always give everything a good sweep and powder wash if needed.

Get started today!

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