Ultimate Guide to Fall Cleaning: Simple Tips & Tricks

After the fast-paced in-and-out activity of Summer, Fall is a wonderful time to relax and recenter yourself by reorganizing and cleaning your home. While many people associate deep cleaning with Spring, Fall cleaning is just as important. You’ll be spending more time indoors, and you may even be welcoming friends and loved ones home for the holidays. 

At the Polished Jar, we know how important it is to keep your space looking as polished and elegant as you are. We sell a number of cleaning and organizational solutions, and we are always looking for the next amazing products and ideas for you. Here are some of our best cleaning tips for your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. 

Make A Fall Cleaning Checklist

A cleaning checklist means that you won’t be easily overwhelmed by the question of what to do next. Break down your checklist by room and write down what needs to be cleaned from the top to the bottom. This way, any dust or debris that falls will be cleaned up as you work your way down.

If you’re not sure where to start with creating a cleaning checklist, feel free to use our examples.

Kitchen Fall Cleaning Checklist

• Dust cabinet tops and refrigerator top
• Check overhead lighting fixtures
• Disinfect countertops, clean walls, dishwasher exterior, and fridge door
• Clean microwave, oven, and stovetop
• Dispose of expired foods from your refrigerator and freezer
• Empty out your cabinets to clean surfaces and add or change liners
• Organize your cabinet contents 
• Make sure your countertop space is organized
• Clean the sink
• Clean out your trash bins
• Empty out any dishes from the dishwasher
• Vacuum or mop floor

Bathroom Fall Cleaning Checklist

• Clean the mirrors
• Scrub any grout on the walls
• Remove hard water buildup and calcium deposits from the showerhead and faucet
• Thoroughly clean the bathtub
• Clean the toilet and floors behind it
• Clean the sink
• Empty and reorganize the cabinet under the sink and any drawers
• Scrub any grout on the floor
• Vacuum or mop floor

Laundry Room Fall Cleaning Checklist

• Run white vinegar through the washer to sanitize inside
• Empty dryer lint trap and wash the screen
• Wipe down interior dryer walls
• Wipe down exterior washer and dryer walls
• Clean sink
• Clean surfaces, shelving, and bins on any countertop or cabinet space
• Dust the dryer hose or vacuum it with a crevice attachment
• Use vacuum brush attachment to clean backs of washing machine and dryer
• Vacuum vents
• Clean windows
• Vacuum or mop floor

Use A Safe, Natural Cleaning Solution

White vinegar is a surprisingly powerful cleaning solution that can be used in a number of applications in your home. You can spray undiluted vinegar on your tub and shower walls to remove soap scum, and a combination of 2 teaspoons of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt is good for removing calcium deposits. 

Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and can remove odors from countertops (as long as they are not granite or marble, as vinegar can diminish the luster of natural stone). Tough stains can be defeated with a few drops of dish soap to one part water and two parts vinegar.

White vinegar is also an excellent glass cleaner. You simply combine one part water with two parts vinegar in a reusable spray bottle. From there, just spray your new cleaning product on glass surfaces and wipe clean for a streak-free finish.

Don’t Forget The Appliances

Even the most fastidious housekeeper doesn’t do things like clean the refrigerator’s condenser coil every time they tidy the kitchen– but a seasonal deep cleaning is a perfect time to do this. Fall cleaning is the perfect time to run a cleaning cycle in the oven, check your drains, and perform other big appliance maintenance inspections. 

This is a good time to check your outside appliances and furniture, too, especially if you live in an area where winter is very cold. It’s a good time to check air conditioner units, dryer vents, and hose hookups. 

Organize Your Countertops

While magazine spreads might feature empty, pristine countertops, they don’t make much sense for a home that people actually live in. You should have your daily necessities within easy reach, and that frequently means that you’ll have things out on the countertop. But to help keep your countertops organized and your items easily found, you should use trays and pedestals to keep things where they belong. A tray for your soap and sponges, a tray for your soap bottles, a little ring dish by the sink… all of these options will keep your items well-organized and easy to reach when you need them.