I am as big a proponent of Spring cleaning as the next person. In theory, at least, if not in practice. To be honest, though, I find Autumn cleaning much more beneficial, both physically and emotionally. Here in Alberta, Winter is basically a 6-month lockdown period where we rarely leave the house. If the house is messy or cluttered, it can really hit you hard. Especially if you’re already prone to seasonal depression. So today, here is my room-by-room essentials of Autumn cleaning list!
Cleaning the Living Room
This one is usually the easiest to get out of the way so I start here to get that quick hit of accomplishment. I have a dust allergy that usually gets worse over the winter so I always start every room with dusting, washing the walls, and then washing the baseboards and floors. In the living room, I also make sure to give the windows a good, thorough scrub inside and out, and launder the curtains. I like to make sure what precious little sunlight we’re get, can get to us as easily as possible. Then I give the upholstery a good vacuum to get every last bit of dust and animal hair I can.
I also take this opportunity to declutter the board games, video games, books, and toys we keep in our living room. It’s much easier to keep bored children entertained throughout the winter without having to wade through a million choices.
Lastly, for us at least, I give all the animal homes a deep clean and disinfecting. For us, that includes a bird cage, a gerbil cage, a dog bed, a cat tree, the snake’s terrarium, 2 fish tanks and the crabitat.
Cleaning the Kitchen
Similar to the living room, I start by wiping down the walls, cabinets, appliances, and floors. Then I do a thorough wipe-down of the fridge, and defrost the freezer and deep-freeze. I take this opportunity to do an inventory of the fridge, freezers, and pantry so that I can stock up on staples for the winter. Sometimes the weather gets bad and we can’t get to the store. It’s best not to get caught short of supplies.
Another task I like to do quarterly that fits well here is doing a good drain cleaning with baking soda and vinegar. I also usually de-scale the taps at the same time.
Cleaning the Bathroom
The bathroom is another easy one. I basically just wipe down everything and then do the drains and taps just like the kitchen. I also declutter old containers out of the shower and cupboards while I’m at it. Another thing I do is put away all the “summer” toiletries, like sunscreen and aloe vera gel. Then I replace them with winter ones like heavy-duty moisturizer and lip balm. It’s also a good opportunity to swap out your candle, air freshener, and soap fragrances if you do so seasonally, as I do.
Cleaning the Bedrooms
I don’t know about your house, but the bedrooms in our house are clutter magnets. We end up with piles of empty boxes, old papers, and clothes that should have been donated or thrown out. The upside is that we can just put the discards into the empty boxes and run them straight to the car. While I’m swapping out the summer clothes for winter, I also wipe down all the shelves, drawers, and rods. I make sure to vacuum the carpets, lamp shades, and mattress, and then rotate the mattress. I wash the curtains and all the bedding and then make sure to empty all the junk out of our bedside tables.
Cleaning the Rest…
Everything else I do is more odd jobs and I wasn’t sure where to fit it in so I’ll just put it here. Every season I make sure to put a new furnace filter in, descale the washer, and vacuum the dryer vent. I make sure that the outside taps are drained and turned off. Next, I harangue the kids into doing one last mow of the lawn to mulch the leaves. Then I make sure the walks are cleaned, the flower beds are winterized, and the gutters emptied. Lastly, I make sure that our salt bucket is full and our snow shovel is ready for business.
I know it sounds like a LOT of work but if I really knuckle down I can usually knock it out over a weekend. And it really REALLY makes the winter months more bearable. Do you do a big Autumn cleaning every year? If so, what are your best tips and tricks to make it go smoothly? Let me know!