Simple Fall Deep-Cleaning Checklist for a Cozy & Clean Home

Are you ready for the fall? I am looking forward to sweater weather, but first, I need to get my home ready for the cooler months ahead! Give your home a nice scrub from top to bottom using our fall deep-cleaning checklist! I love giving my home a deep scrub twice a year: springtime and fall-time!

It makes sense because during the spring time, the start of warm weather gives you an itch to hang your laundry outside again and give it that delicious smell. Also you want to get your home in tip-top shape from spending so much time indoors all winter long. In the fall time, it’s nice to get your home prepared for the long winter and more time spent indoors away from the cool weather. Also a lot of family holidays happen in the fall and winter: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year.

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When is a Good Time for Fall Cleaning?

As soon as summer is done and you are ready to nest your home is a good time for fall cleaning! Right before your kids go back to school might be smart so that they could help, or as soon as they go to school so you have more time on your hands to clean (lol, your preference).

Don’t clean your home all at once because you might get overwhelmed. I like to take it one room at a time and get it really deep cleaned. For example, start with the kitchen, then move onto the living room, then the bedrooms, etc. Take your time and make it fun!

Materials Needed for Fall Deep-Cleaning

• Bucket (Amazon)
• Scrubber brush (Amazon)
• Baking Soda (Amazon)
• Vinegar
• Rags (Amazon)

You May Also Like

Before printing off our free printable fall deep-cleaning checklist, check out our previous posts on making your own all-purpose cleaning spray and laundry detergent to put them to use!

• Fantastic All-Purpose Cleaning Spray
• Homemade Laundry Detergent
• 5 Exciting Non-Toxic Ways to Make Your Home Smell Fresh

Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of home. Often time clutter gets accumulated on the countertops that makes it less appealing to cook and bake. Follow along as we get your kitchen tidied, fresh, and inspiring to get baking that apple pie!

Pantry

Go through your pantry, take everything out and get it reorganized! Check expiration dates, donate stuff you know you will not use, or make meals that week using up ingredients you forgot you even had! Take inventory and make a list of pantry staples that you are low on to get next time you go grocery shopping. It’s smart to be stocked up for the cooler weather ahead!

Refrigerator

This one is smart to do right before you go grocery shopping and your fridge is half empty. Take everything out from the fridge and using the all-purpose cleaner, spray it all down and wipe! You’d be surprised how gritty our fridges can get. I do this one about once every month to get it nice and clean. Wipe down all the walls, sides, inside the trays, and inside the door of the fridge. As you put all the perishables back into the fridge, look at expiration dates and toss things your family may not like or things that went bad.

Don’t forget the freezer! Do the same with the freezer and take inventory of things you forgot you threw in there! Maybe even take that stuff out and thaw for use in the near future!

Wipe the fridge exterior, underneath the doors, and the sides too. Don’t be surprised how much dust you’ll find!

Oven & Stovetop

Clean the inside of the oven by sprinkling baking soda all over the interior and spraying with vinegar. Let it soak for about 15-20 minutes. Next, get a scrubber brush and get all the grease and burned food particles out of there! Finally, wipe down clean with a damp cloth.

Spray down the stovetop with the all-purpose cleaner and wipe down. This should be a part of your daily cleaning, so it shouldn’t be too dirty.

Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets get greasy and they need a little refresh a couple times a year. Spray down the cabinets and wipe the dust and grime off!

Drain & Sink

I have a stainless steel sink so all I use to get it fresh again is a lemon peel and some baking soda. First, sprinkle some baking soda. Then, grab a lemon peel and use it as a scrub. Finally, rinse with warm water for a refreshed and fresh-smelling sink!

For the drain, turn on your garbage disposal in the sink and throw the lemon peel into it. Keep the garbage disposal on for a minute while running warm/hot water.

Dishwasher & Microwave

Give any appliances you have in the kitchen a nice spray and scrub. Spray the interior of the dishwasher down and wipe. Often time, food gets trapped in the bottom, even if you use it daily. Get all the crud out, it’ll help the dishwasher run smoothly going forward! Do the same to the microwave if you have one.

Kitchen Walls & Backsplash

You already know how greasy and grimy the kitchen walls and backsplash can get! Just spray and wipe down for a nice refreshing kitchen!

Declutter Countertops

Wipe down all the countertops and reassess what really needs to be out. I only like to have the essentials out on the countertops. Items and appliances that I use daily stay out, everything else is put away and has a spot tucked away in a cabinet or the pantry. A nice, minimal kitchen is nice to work in and easy to maintain.

Living Room

The living room is a place where the family can sit back, relax, and enjoy each others company! Make sure it is ready for the cooler months by providing warm blankets and a cozy clean space to fellowship at.

Vacuum

Move the couches and furniture out and give the entire space a full sweep with a vacuum! This makes a world of a difference in providing a fresh, crisp space. Also make sure you get all the dust bunnies out from under furniture and rugs. Another great idea is to vacuum out the furniture itself! If you have leather sofas, give them a nice wipe down.

Wash the Carpet and/or Rugs

You could either hire out a professional carpet cleaner to wash your carpet and rugs thoroughly or do it my budget-friendly way! I sprinkle baking soda on my rugs and carpet and let it soak in all the smells. Then, spot clean all the stains with a brush and vinegar. First try pouring hydrogen peroxide on the stain and let it fizz. Then, wipe with a cloth. If that doesn’t do it, try the baking soda method. Hang the rugs outside and beat them with a broom or long stick.

Wipe Down Daily-Touched Things

Make sure to disinfect any remotes, light switches, and any other daily-touched items you have in the living room space!

Laundry Room/Mud Room

Why do most houses combine the laundry room with the mud room? I guess it makes sense since you could directly take off and put your dirty clothes into the washing machine, but I don’t like the way it makes the laundry room a high traffic area. I am constantly needing to declutter my laundry room because all the stuff that people drop off on their way into the house! Lets get this space spick-and-span for the fall and winter months!

Clean Washer & Dryer Vent

The washing machine can get gross and grimy if not washed every couple of months. Get a rag and spray the inside of the washing machine with vinegar and wipe! Make sure to also get the rubber gasket. You’ll find hair, mildew, and all sorts of lint trapped in there. Then, if not too grimy, run your washing machine at the highest water and temperature setting with one cup of vinegar. If your washing machine needs a deep cleaning, add 2 cups of washing soda and 2 cups of borax and let it sit for 45 minutes to an hour. Then, run a full cycle to give it a nice wash.

For the dryer vent, you might want to hire a dryer vent cleaner to come out and clean your vent out. This is important because if your dryer vent is clogged, it could be a fire hazard! Even though we might clean the lint trap after every use, some lint is still getting through.

General Cleaning Around the House

Although we are diving into specific rooms to tackle, there are some things that need to be deep-cleaned that can be located in all areas of the house. Let’s not forget about these tasks!

Light Fixtures

Go around the house and wipe all of the light fixtures with a damp cloth. Light fixtures tend to attract bugs and flies, so it’s a good idea to clean these out at least twice a year! Also check the light bulbs and replace any that are dim or don’t work any more.

Wash Curtains

Curtains trap dust and cobwebs, so running all your curtains through the washer gives them a nice refresh. Try using our homemade laundry detergent! Tip: don’t throw the curtains in the dryer, just wash and hang them back up! This will save you the step from needing to iron or steam the curtains as well!

Wash Windows from the Inside & Outside

Having clean windows is so life giving! It makes the sunlight seem brighter and brings joy to me! This is my favorite chore from my simple fall deep-cleaning checklist! All you need for this one is a bucket of clean water with a drop of dishwashing soap. Using a rag, wash the frame and window thoroughly getting all the dust and dirt off. Then with a microfiber cloth, wipe it all down. Recently, my sister got me this rag for washing windows that I use to wipe down the window and it leaves no streaks!

Wipe Down Baseboards

Baseboards can get dirty and dusty over time, so go through with a wet rag and wipe them all down. If you see stains or something isn’t getting off, the magic eraser comes in handy if you have white baseboards.

Dust Ceiling Fans

Did you know fans have a summer and winter switch? In the summertime, the ceiling fan direction should go counterclockwise to direct the draft downwards. While in the wintertime, the fan should go clockwise to circulate the warm air around the room. Make sure you switch the direction for the winter setting as you climb up there to clean it anyways! Using a wet rag, wipe down the fans to get the dust off.

Knock Cobwebs Off

I don’t know about you, but this year has been a bad year for spiders and cobwebs in our area! My mom and sisters have noticed this as well. If you have a cobweb collector, use that to knock them off. But if you don’t, go through your home with a broom and a rag hanging over it and it’ll get the job done!

Declutter & Reorganize Closets

Closets tend to be a home of stuff that are shoved in when last-minute guests arrive or stuff that is stored for the future and we forget about it. So, let’s go through them together and get rid of stuff we don’t need or use anymore! You’ll have more space for items you really do need a home for too!

Linen Closet

Most people skip this one but its a good practice to go through your linen closet a couple times a year and see if you need everything in there. It’s nice to have a couple of extra sheets and towels, but most of us have an overflowing linen closet from too much. Consider donating extras or throwing away dirty or old items. I like to cut old towels into rags.

Coat Closet

Go through all the coats you have and if you haven’t worn them the last couple of winters, you probably won’t this year! Donate the extra, unwanted, but clean coats to Goodwill for someone who might be in need. Throw away old and wore-through stuff.

Medicine Cabinet

Moving onto the medicine cabinet, look through the medicine and toss anything that expired and see what you will need to stock up on for the winter season.

Office

Our office tends to become a storage room of all the junk we don’t use daily. If you are like us, go through all the boxes and get rid of stuff you don’t need. Then go through all the paperwork and shred all the unnecessary mail and paper. Tidy up the desk and make it minimal so that it is a nice place to work from.

Bedrooms

Go through each bedroom and get it ready for the cooler weather. If you have winter bedding, pull that out and tuck the summer bedding away. Wash the comforter and duvet cover, mattress cover, and flip the mattress. I also like to vacuum the mattress out from all the dust and dead skin cells that end up on there. Then, vacuum under all the furniture. I enjoy rearranging the furniture around for change. Remember, variety is the spice of life! Moving on to the bedroom closets, swap summer to winter clothes and declutter as you go. Wipe down and declutter all the surfaces in the bedrooms.

Bathrooms

Even though we wash our bathrooms weekly, its nice to go in there and give them a nice deep scrub. In the shower: wash the grout, drain, and replace the shower liner. I like using a brush, baking soda, and vinegar in the shower. Wash the rugs in the washing machine, wipe down the cabinets, wash the garbage cans, and disinfect the toothbrush holder. Wipe down all the surfaces and declutter. And of course, scrub the toilet REAL thoroughly. Remove any had water rings using this pumice stone!

Beauty Products

Declutter the cabinets in the bathroom and throw away any beauty products that are empty or what you don’t use anymore and is just taking space.

Get the Fall Deep-Cleaning Checklist!

Subscribe to get the FREE downloadable checklist. Your home will feel and look amazing for the fall sweater weather coming up! It’ll be so satisfying to cross off the chores as you do them!

Conclusion

Thank you so much for following along! I hope you enjoyed this post brought to you by Inna. Comment below what your plan of attack is for cleaning your home for the fall! We would love to hear!