Tis the season to thoroughly clean your entire house. While some homeowners reserve major cleaning projects for the springtime, fall is actually one of the best times of the year to purge and reorganize your living space. It’s a good idea to decontaminate your home when the weather is still decent and before you have to close it up for the winter. Fall is also an ideal time to complete major cleaning projects because typically the holiday season brings a litany of guests to your home and it’s nice to have a decluttered space to show off.
With that said, here is a list of some home maintenance projects you might consider completing before Old Man Winter arrives:
Paint: Declutter rooms and clean the walls before adding a fresh coat of paint to them. It’s a good idea to paint interior rooms while it’s still warm enough outside to leave the windows open and allow the fresh air to circulate.
Shampoo carpets: Fall is also a good time to deep clean your carpets with shampoo. This will eliminate the dirt tracked in over the summer months and give a fresh start to your rooms just in time for the busy holiday season.
Caulk: Before the temperatures drop, caulk exterior joints around windows and doors. Doing so will help reduce heating bills and keep insects out.
Organize garage: Now is the time to put away garden tools and equipment left outdoors during the summer. Hoses, lawn mowers and grills can be put away when the nighttime temperatures dip below freezing.
Install storm windows: Fall is the time to inspect and clean your storm windows, and get them ready for installation. If you don’t own storm windows you might consider investing in some, as they can help you save on energy costs during the winter months. Storm windows are significantly less expensive than installing new double- or triple-glazed windows.