Spring Cleaning gets all the attention, but by taking care of a few key items in the fall, your home will be set and ready for fun and “decking of the halls” by the time the holidays roll around!
Air Quality
Attention to air freshness will do wonders for that clean feeling in your home. One of the first steps to fresh air quality is to regularly change the filters of your HVAC system. Not only do dusty filters add expensive and unnecessary wear and tear to your system, but a layer of grey increases the likelihood that dust particles are being recirculated into your air. In fact, if a customer let’s us know that a cleaning doesn’t seem to be lasting as long as it used to- that the dust seems to be building up quickly- the first thing we recommend is checking on the filters.
For another money-saving step to help with air quality- this time in air comfort- change the direction of the rotation of your ceiling fans for winter. “Clocks back, fans forward. Clocks forward, fans back”. Most fans are equipped with a switch on the base that will allow you to change your fan rotation to clock-wise (“forward”) which, when put at a low setting, gently pushes warm air down from the ceiling.
Lastly, go ahead and change out any air freshening needs- like the box of baking soda in the fridge or air fresheners or potpourri around the house (for a fresh, but minimally intrusive scent, we recommend Mrs. Meyer’s plug in air fresheners with a natural scent!). If you don’t already do so, this is a good time to add a cotton ball with your favorite essential oil (try Sweet Orange!) to the canister bag of your vacuum cleaner- this will freshen the whole house as you sweep!
“Bed and Breakfast- Ready”: Preparing for Guests
A little bit of prep now in the Fall will make getting ready for guests to arrive simple and fast- leaving you with more time to enjoy your visitors!
While there’s still a few warm days left, now is a good time to air out bedding. If you don’t have a clothesline in your back yard, bring out some folding chairs or the dining room chairs and drape the bedding over them to sit out in the sun for a few hours. The UV in the sunshine kills bacteria. This can be especially freshening for down comforters and pillows.
Take a peek at your dining linen supply and take the opportunity to clean, dry and press your tablecloths and napkins. These will be fresh and ready to go in a few weeks when your holiday table is set for service!
With leaves accumulating, and the ground a bit moister (ie muddier!), stop dirt before it even makes an entrance by putting out mats at the entrances of your home. This is also important for minimizing wear and tear on your carpets by preventing dirt from gritting away at the fibers!
Closets: The Stored and Secret Clutter
Get the storage areas ready to go- start by purging! Grab a box and fill it with the things you no longer like (or no longer fit!) and give to charity to make space. Many of the area charities see a spike in demand this time of year and could really use your donations. As our friend, Cary the Organizer says, “Don’t deny someone else the opportunity to enjoy this item!” - meaning the item that you no longer use! Think of how excited someone will be to discover your unwanted item- and meanwhile you have space for the things you actually care about!
Now that you’ve removed the things that no longer belong, go ahead and assess your needs for the season- be it clothing or decorations. With your needs “on radar”, you’ll be able to take advantage of the sales many stores will be running throughout the season- and avoid having to pay full price for a last minute need.
Lastly, while you’re taking inventory of the closets and storage areas, go and move the holiday items up toward the front so that they’re easy to retrieve once you’re ready to “deck the halls” in a few weeks!