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The fall is a great time for giving your home a refresh, and this decluttering and deep cleaning checklist is going to have your home ready for the chilly nights and rainy days ahead.
Here’s what is on the checklist:
- Sort and swap out seasonal clothing.
- Swap and declutter bedding.
- Declutter empty bath product bottles.
- Declutter cleaning products.
- Get rid of anything expired or empty in the kitchen pantry.
- Sort through your cold weather gear.
- Access and care for your patio furniture and outdoor toys.
Table of Contents
Why Declutter and Deep Clean in the Fall?
Going from summer to fall is one of the biggest transitions of the year. We go from sizzling hot sunny days, shorts and sandals, and lots of time in or around water to chilly and blustery days, rain boots and flannel shirts, and more time indoors. So much about what we need and use in our homes changes with the arrival of fall.
I like to spend a week changing over my home from summer to fall. Here’s how I do it.
Want a handy free printable checklist so that you can get to work? Head to our Free Resource Library for a free printable.
Fall Decluttering and Deep Cleaning Task #1: Clothing
Now is the time to take out all of your summer clothing and assess what you want to keep for next season. It’s also a good time to switch out your hot weather clothing for cool and cold weather clothing.
I like to take out everything in my closet, piece by piece. Next, I lay it all on my bed. I go through every piece. Holding up a shirt or pair of jeans, I ask myself:
Did I wear this often this summer, or did I not wear it much?
Is this piece of clothing still in good shape, or is it too worn out?
If I didn’t wear it very much or if it looks old, I donate it.
Once this decluttering process is done, I store my summer clothing in plastic storage tubs. Then, I get out my fall clothing and put it in my closet.
Fall Decluttering and Deep Cleaning Task #2: Bedding
Who doesn’t love snuggling up on a chilly, rainy night in a cozy blanket? Give me a cup of tea, a good book, and I’m in Heaven! Fall nights start to get cold, and the summer weight duvet on your bed just won’t cut it anymore.
I like to wash my bed’s light summer quilt and store it in the linen closet for next year. Then, I build a cozy fall bed with flannel bed sheets, a heavier duvet, and an extra fleece throw blanket at the foot of the bed. Cozy!
I also like to change out the throw pillows and blankets that I keep around the house. The light colored throw pillows and light throw blanket on my living room couch are changed out for dark colored pillows and a fluffy, heavier throw blanket.
Fall Decluttering and Deep Cleaning Task #3: Bath Products
This is a quick and easy task that will give you big decluttering results. Take a few minutes to access the bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash hanging out in your bathroom. I’m willing to bet that you have a few that are empty and taking up valuable storage space (I know I usually do!)
Fall Decluttering and Deep Cleaning Task #4: Cleaning Products
While you have the trash bag of empty bath products in your hand, head straight for the place you keep your cleaning products. Do you have any empty cleaning product bottles? Any cleaning products that you tried and didn’t like? Drop them in the trash bag.
Fall Decluttering and Deep Cleaning Task #5: Kitchen Pantry
I love baking, and no season is better for baking than fall. If you love to bake in the Fall too, you are going to be reaching for the same ingredients over and over again – seasonal spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, baking essentials like flour and sugar, and more.
As much as I love baking in the fall, I love baking during the Holiday season even more! Do yourself a favor and sort out your kitchen pantry before the baking frenzy of November and December starts. When it’s Christmas eve, and you’ve got two dozen cookies to bake and too many gifts left to wrap, you will be so glad that you don’t have to sift through a messy pantry.
Take a look at your spice rack. Toss anything that’s expired. Are you running low on anything you use regularly? Make a note for the next trip to the grocery store. I like to keep baking basics handy all year, but especially in the Fall and Winter: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vegetable oil, and spices.
Want to get other areas of your home ready for the holidays? Check out our Christmas cleaning checklist.
Fall Decluttering and Deep Cleaning Task #6: Cold Weather Gear
It happens to me every fall. I get dressed for the day wearing summer clothing as per usual. I step outside and realize the season changed to cooler weather overnight. Now I’m running back inside to put on warmer clothes, and I’m running late.
Fall seems to arrive in the blink of an eye, and with it, the need for cold and wet weather gear. I love to go outside no matter the weather. Having the appropriate gear helps me enjoy my morning walk whether it’s sunny and warm or cold and raining.
Fall Weather Gear Essentials
Of course, this will be different for everyone based on where you live. Some of us already need a heavy coat in fall while others are still wearing t-shirts and shorts. Here is something almost all of us will need in the fall: rain gear.
A nice pair of waterproof shoes and a rain jacket with a comfortably fitting hood are musts for fall no matter where you live.
At the start of the season, I like to put away my warm weather gear – hiking sandals, swimsuits, swim goggles, ect. In its place, I get out my light jacket, my sweaters, and my rain gear. I make sure that everything is in good working order and ready to go. It’s so nice to have the item I need when I need it, so I don’t have to go rummaging through a storage bin when I’m already running late.
This is a great opportunity to donate any rain boots or umbrellas that are past their prime.
Fall Decluttering and Deep Cleaning Task #7: Outdoor Toys and Patio Furniture
By the end of my kids’ summer break from school, my backyard looks like a toy factory exploded on site. I love buying them outdoor toys because it gets my kids off screens and playing outside. The only downside is I find that toys left outside for the entire summer season tend to be pretty worse for the wear by the fall.
With the season changing, how we spend time outside will change too. I take this time to go through my kids’ outdoor toys. Any broken toys get recycled or thrown away. Any toys they don’t want anymore get donated. Water toys get stored for next year.
Patio furniture and accessories need to be decluttered and cleaned too. Early fall is a great time to sit outside and enjoy the crisp air. Late fall and early winter are a different story. Late in the season, I like to give my patio furniture a good scrub with dish soap and hot water before storing them for the spring.
Conclusion
Fall is a great time to get rid of clutter and do some deep cleaning. Follow this checklist, and your home will be ready to welcome the new season! Want more fall cleaning ideas? Check out more fall cleaning tasks here.
