As summer fades into fall, I like to take some time to make sure that I am ready for the upcoming winter. These 4 chores will prepare your home, your gardens and yourself for those shorter days and seasonal delights that are upon us.
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1. Clean Your House
This one might seem obvious; but before you swap out seasonal decor and welcome holiday guests, take the time to deep clean your house. Similar to spring cleaning, fall cleaning is more intense than just the regular house touch up.
Start from the top and work your way down.
Wipe down cabinets and furniture.
Clean windows, mirrors and light fixtures.
Sanitize bathrooms and restock vanities.
Vacuum and wash floors.
Clean your oven, microwave and refrigerator. Pull the fridge out and vacuum behind it!
If it wasn’t done recently, have the house pressure washed. I’m always amazed at the difference this makes!
*Free Printable Checklist Below!
2. Maintain your Home
When you are finished deep cleaning, make sure your home maintenance is up to date.
Clean gutters and debris from around the property. Fall leaves can build up quickly depending on your landscape. Clogged gutters can mean uncontrolled water run off around the foundation and subsequent leaks into basements and doors.
Have a professional inspect and clean your chimney if necessary. Cold weather will be here before we know it and a clean fireplace is a safer fireplace.
Speaking of fire safety, now’s the time to change those smoke detector batteries and test them. Discuss fire safety plans with the family.
Now is also the time to have your HVAC tuned up for cold weather and to replace your air filters.
Schedule dryer vent cleaning as well.
*Free Printable Checklist Below!
3. Prepare Gardens for Winter
Now is also the time to clean up the garden areas and get them ready for the winter season.
Add shredded leaves to the compost bin or dormant beds as a mulch covering.
Remove spent annuals and cut back perennials appropriately.
Amend soil in raised beds with compost/manure.
Put down fresh mulch if needed.
Clean up garden tools and equipment for proper storage.
Adjust your watering schedules and prepare spigots for colder weather.
Remember your houseplants; check for pests and dead leaves.
And if you just aren’t ready to say goodbye to summer and planting, take advantage of fall rainy/cool weather and plant some shrubs, trees and/or bulbs.
Read about more winter garden preparation in my post: Putting the Garden Beds to Bed.
*Yet another Free Printable Checklist Below!
4. Mental Health Check Up
You might be surprised to see this on a blog post about fall chores, but I believe it’s important to mention. Times have been difficult for many people since the pandemic. We hear more and more every day about friends and family members searching for therapists, starting medications for anxiety and depression, scrolling through social media platforms and feeling lost and inadequate. This time of year seems to ramp up those feelings. Goodness knows the shorter days don’t help either! What brings you happiness? Where do you find joy? For me it’s connecting with my family, garden, home and pets. That’s why I write this blog. I want to share those connections in the hopes that it helps someone else. Please make the time to reflect, to pray, to check in with friends and family, and take time for yourself. Go outside and breathe the fresh air and reconnect.
That being said, my intentions for this post are to help you transition from summer to fall in a way that’s helpful, not overwhelming.
Adapt these 4 sets of chores to your needs and enjoy the beautiful change of season!
Looking for some easy fall decor ideas? Read my post Less is More Fall Decor at the Lake House.
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