Cold weather and the whole holiday season always arrive faster than you think. A spring cleaning is refreshing after being cooped up after a long winter; but a fall cleaning helps you prepare for one. Indoors, you’ll want to make sure to do a full cleaning, prepare an environment that runs efficiently, and make sure everything is safe and secure. Outdoors, there are a few things to prep for frosty conditions, freezing rain, and forthcoming snow.
It’s a great feeling to declutter:
When the temperature drops, everyone wants to spend their time indoors – except for those winter sports enthusiasts in your home. When the house is cramped with junk and excess clutter that has built up, it’s difficult to relax and enjoy the warm, cozy spaces. Do a full review of every room of your home and get rid of things you can trash, recycle, donate, or even sell. This will make cleaning even easier.
When you come across the home office the importance of paper shredding comes in. You might be tempted to tear through the stacks of old files, mail, and other papers that have accumulated, but take great care: recycling or throwing away any documents that contain personal information is dangerous. Call in a professional mobile shredding service that can take care of them, plus securely destroy any old electronics that are also piling up to prevent identity theft.
Once you’ve streamlined and kept all the useful items in the home, it’s time to clean up:
Work from top to bottom so the debris from cleaning falls to the floor, with vacuuming and mopping last. Doing a thorough cleaning takes a while, plus a fair amount of cleaning products, so make sure to purchase or make your own all-natural cleaner to avoid hours of breathing in dangerous fumes. They work just as well and will safeguard your family against chemicals.
Let members of your family clean their own space:
They might roll their eyes and groan but explain if you have to do it for them, you’ll choose to donate or get rid of way more personal things than they’d like! Getting children into the habit of cleaning up early will encourage them to keep good habits as they get older.
Depending on your part of the country, freezing and snowy temps start earlier or later:
This Winter Preparation Checklist offers some handy reminders for what to look after. You might not beat the season’s first frost but try to review these before the new year rolls around!
Check the weather-stripping around windows and doors and feel for drafts. Replace screens with storm windows and doors. Add any caulking where cracks or drafts have occurred. Clean the eaves throughout the leaf-falling season. Rake up leaves and properly dispose of them based on the rules for your geographic area. The above list also has gardening, lawn, tools, machinery, and heating infrastructure tips.
Have everyone pitch in and spread the work out over a few weekends to lighten the load on your busy family. Then enjoy hiding from the cold indoors!
