Fall is a perfect time to tackle some of the cleaning, organizing, and decluttering tasks you might have put off over the summer. Having a fall cleaning checklist to follow can make tidying up your home easier and less stressful.
I’ve shared my spring cleaning checklist before and what a help it is for getting the house back in shape. And today, I’ve got an ultimate fall cleaning checklist to share that can help you get your home neat and organized from top to bottom!
It’s a complete room-by-room guide of things to clean and declutter for a more livable home.
Sound good? Then let the fall cleaning begin!
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Ultimate Fall Cleaning Checklist
A good cleaning checklist for fall should cover every area of your home, but at the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide what you want to focus on. The fall checklist for cleaning I’m sharing here covers all of the most important spots to hit (and a few you might have forgotten about.)
If you read through the cleaning list and feel like it’s just too overwhelming to tackle all at once, try breaking it down instead. Pick one room to work through, one day at a time.
That can help you stick to your fall cleaning plan without getting bogged down.
Pro tip: Print out this fall cleaning checklist and laminate it so you can reuse it again and again!
Fall cleaning checklist for the kitchen
- Dust your refrigerator coils. (This helps your fridge run more efficiently!)
- Dust the tops of your kitchen cabinets and the baseboards.
- Clean out the clutter under your sink and replace it with a handy organizer.
- Deep clean the inside of your dishwasher.
- Degunk around your faucet and clean up your kitchen grout.
- Deep clean the garbage disposal.
- Organize your kitchen pantry. (Try these cute baskets to add some fall harvest touches!)
- Deep clean your microwave inside and out.
- Wash and disinfect your garbage cans and recycling cans.
- Deep clean your oven and vent hood.
- Clean up your fridge and get rid of clutter with these space savers!
- Clean out the freezer and defrost it if needed.
- Toss out expired food, including out-of-date spices.
- Wipe down kitchen cabinets inside and out.
Related post: 100 Things to Declutter Right Now to Make Your Home More Livable
Fall cleaning checklist for the bathroom
- Wash your shower curtain and liner (or replace it if necessary.)
- Declutter any expired cosmetics or toiletries, including prescriptions or medications.
- Dust molding, baseboards, and light fixtures.
- Check around the sink, shower, and toilet for any leaks.
- Wash out your trash can if you keep one in the bathroom.
- Deep clean your shower head to remove any calcium or rust buildup.
- Scrub your shower tiles and the grout, and shower doors if you have them.
- Replace your toothbrushes (which you should be doing every three months anyway!)
- Wash your bath mats or replace them if they’ve gotten too grungy to salvage.
- Clean out under your cabinets and use baskets to organize vanity drawers.
- Delint your hairdryer and clean out hair from your brushes.
- Round up loose toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap in a handy holder.
- Deep clean around your toilet (especially if you have little boys!)
Related post: How to Clean a Messy House When You Don’t Know Where to Start
Fall cleaning checklist for the bedroom
- Wash all bedding, including sheets, blankets, and comforters.
- Swap out pillows that have lost their shape for new ones.
- Dust your blinds.
- Wash the curtains.
- Invest in a sturdy hamper if you’re tired of dirty clothes being left on the floor.
- Store warm weather clothing away for next season.
- Flip your mattress or invest in a gel topper for a more comfortable sleep.
- Declutter nightstands and dresser tops.
- Switch out summer bedding for warmer blankets.
- Dust ceiling molding and baseboards.
- Declutter everything from under the bed and sweep or vacuum.
- Thoroughly dust ceiling fan blades and fixtures.
- Set the direction of your ceiling fan to turn clockwise to pull up cool air and push down warm air in winter.
Related post: 17 Simple Dusting Hacks That Actually Work to Keep Your Dusty House Clean
Fall cleaning checklist for kids’ rooms
- Declutter kids’ toys and consider starting a toy rotation.
- Launder bedding and switch it out for warmer blankets.
- Clean out from underneath the bed, which is a perfect hiding spot for junk!
- Use a cute bookshelf to stash books, magazines, and DVDs.
- Sort through your kids’ fall wardrobe and pull out anything they’ve outgrown.
- Spot-clean rugs and carpets.
- Dust baseboards, walls, and blinds.
- Wash the curtains.
- Wipe down all furniture, decor items, and wall hangings or pictures.
Related post: 25 Fun Ideas for Keeping Kids Busy So You Can Get Things Done
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Fall cleaning checklist for the living room
- Toss, donate, or recycle old magazines and newspapers.
- Round up stray toys with baskets or bins.
- Clear the clutter out of drawers in side tables, end tables, coffee tables, etc.
- Dust walls, furniture, and baseboards.
- Vacuum carpets or rugs and spot clean as needed.
- Spot clean upholstery and use your vacuum attachments to clean up the cracks.
- Vacuum or sweep under the furniture.
- Switch out old lightbulbs for energy-efficient ones.
- Dust your plants (real or fake!)
- Dust the blinds and ceiling fans.
- Switch the rotation of your ceiling fan blades to clockwise if you haven’t yet.
- Wipe down TV screens and computer screens.
- Clean out your fireplace if you have one, or consider hiring someone to do a professional cleaning.
- Wipe down the remote controls.
- Wash blankets and throw pillows.
Related post: 11 Daily Tasks to Clean House Quickly When You Don’t Have Time for the Mess
Fall cleaning checklist for outside the home
- Clear out the gutters or hire a professional to clean them if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself.
- Sweep or blow walkways clear of leaves and debris.
- Clean all the windows.
- Consider pressure washing the outside of your home if it looks grimey.
- Trim back overhanging branches or hedges that have grown over the summer.
- Put away summer furniture or kids’ toys.
- Clean and disinfect garbage cans and recycling cans.
- Check outdoor lighting fixtures and replace bulbs as needed.
- Clean your chimney (or hire someone to do this for you.)
- Rake up leaves and pine straw.
- Power wash your walkways, porch, or driveway.
- Cut the grass one last time.
- Clean your grill and store it away if you don’t use it in winter.
- Declutter your garage or any storage sheds you have on the property.
Related post: 21 Painless Ways to Declutter Your Home When You’re Tired of the Mess
General fall cleaning list to-dos
- Check and replace the batteries in your smoke detectors.
- Test your carbon monoxide detectors if you have them.
- Check fire extinguishers and refill or replace them as needed.
- Wipe down walls.
- Wipe down light switch plates in every room.
- Replace your air filters and consider getting your HVAC system professionally serviced.
- Wipe down doors and doorknobs.
- Turn your ceiling fans so air circulates upward i fyou haven’t done that yet.
- Check for air leaks around windows and doors and replace the weather stripping if necessary.
- Launder or replace pets’ bedding.
- Open the windows to air out your home.
- Clean and declutter your car.
Related post: Declutter Your Home Checklist (10 Free Decluttering Printables!)
Fall Cleaning Checklist PDF
Need a simple way to keep track of your fall cleaning list?
This free downloadable fall cleaning schedule printable is available in the Busy Mom Vault!
Just click the image below to be taken to the sign-up page where you can plug in your email address. Once you’re signed up, the fall cleaning checklist will be on its way to you. PLUS, you’ll get access to all of my other free home management printables!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we clean in fall?
That’s a great question! There are some good reasons why following a fall cleaning schedule is important.
For one thing, your house might be a junked-up mess if your kids have been home all summer. So a fall clean-up is a great time to clear out the clutter.
And for another, fall cleaning can help get your home clean and ready for the winter cold and flu season. A clean home could help you cut down on germs and stay healthy!
So how do you clean in fall and get your home ready for autumn?
The answer is different for everyone but typically, it means doing things like:
- Deep cleaning
- Decluttering and getting rid of things you no longer want or need
- Breaking out the fall decor and doing some seasonal decorating
- Making sure that your home is safe and everything’s working properly
Fall is a great time to do these kinds of things if you want to keep your home well-maintained.
You might do regular spring cleaning but cleaning up in fall means your home will be cozy and comfortable once you’re stuck inside during the cooler months!
Related post: 10 Simple Spring Cleaning Tips to Try If You Hate to Clean
When should you start fall cleaning?
The best time to start fall cleaning is when you’re able to fit it into your schedule and you’re ready to start getting ready for cooler weather.
For example, you might decide to start your fall cleaning checklist:
- Once your kids go back to school
- On the first day of fall
- Whenever the weather starts to turn from warm to cool where you live
I like to start getting ready for fall around the end of August/first of September.
Even though I live at the beach, I much prefer the cooler weather to the hot. So getting my house clean, organized, and decorated for fall is always something I look forward to.
Fall starts in late September but you don’t have to wait until then to start cleaning and organizing. And if you’re closer to Halloween than September when you get started, don’t panic.
It doesn’t matter so much when you get started unless you live someplace where it snows in November. Then you’ll want to be the early bird.
Whenever you choose to start tackling your fall cleaning schedule, try to do it at the same time each year. This can make it easier to get into the fall cleaning habit.
Related post: How Often Should You Clean Your House?
What to do if you’re overwhelmed by fall cleaning?
This checklist is designed to give you some ideas on how to get your house clean and ready for fall.
But what do you do if you’re completely overwhelmed by the mess?
If the clutter in your home is more than you can deal with, then you may need more than just a simple checklist to get it together.
That’s where The Organized Home course from Hilary at Pulling Curls comes in.
It’s a must-have for busy moms who want to get their home organized and keep it that way! And doesn’t that sound good?
This course could be just what you need if you:
- Are tired of feeling overwhelmed by the mess in your home
- Need help creating routines and systems to stay organized
- Want to have calmer, stress-free days as a stay-at-home mom or working mom
Head here to learn more about The Organized Home now!
Wrapping Up
This post is meant to give you a guide for getting your home clean and organized as summer winds down. Hopefully, you’re able to get your house fall-ready with this handy checklist!
Do you follow a regular fall cleaning schedule to get your home ready for autumn?
If so, I’d love to hear what’s on it!
Head to the comments and tell me about it. Then don’t forget to pin and share this post!
Grab your free printable fall cleaning checklist in the Busy Mom Vault. And be sure to check out some of my favorite Busy Mom Resources before you go!
Cleaning out the kitchen cabinets!!! Thank you so much for sharing this! This was a great read and inspiration for this fall!!
Great list for someone like me! Hahaha. Thanks for the post!
Wow this is such a thorough list thanks for taking the time to put this together. I don’t have a fall cleaning checklist, more than likely because I don’t live in a house anymore lol just an apartment and over the years I have gotten so much better with not holding onto stuff I don’t need. Either way these are still good tips to get any place clean.
Great advice!! 🙂
This list is perfect. I really need to get started. Fall is my favorite season and I really want to make my home warm and cozy before being covered in feet of snow (welcome to Canada, eh?).
Thats a great checklist and tips though I am not looking forward to the cleaning. Thank God my living space is small.
Thank you for sharing. This makes everything easier
This is a wonderful list! I have bookmarked it for the upcoming long weekend so I can get it all completed at my own home. There is really nothing I love more than a good list to tackle. 🙂
Wow this is such a thorough list thanks for taking the time to put this together.Thank you so much for sharing this! This was a great read and inspiration for this fall!!
High time to put it into practice 🙂
Taking care of the refrigerator is something that needs to be iterated. The climate change often allows microbial growth in and around the home space leaving the fridge a highly vulnerable spot for the organisms to prolifer. Cleaning occasionally helps in preventing these spots from becoming breeding grounds for diseases.
I see. So, this is a priority. I’ll start with that first. Thanks for the suggestion.
Moisture is essential for a termite colony to thrive. Termites will gladly use puddles of water found in or around a property. Make sure the property is well-aired and kept dry.