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How to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays

This post has been sponsored by SC Johnson. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Everyone is very familiar with “spring cleaning,” but I think “fall cleaning” is even better! Why? Well, for several reasons. The fall months are more home-centric with cozy holidays to celebrate with friends and family! Plus, the last three months of the year are such a whirlwind with back-to-back holidays that it’s great to have a literal clean slate before putting up any holiday decorations. You’ll have a clean house for any visiting guests. And, you’ll have more time during the holiday season to celebrate and create traditions rather than clean! I’m telling you, fall cleaning is the new spring cleaning! If you agree with me, keep reading to learn How to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays, along with a printable checklist! 

I use S.C. Johnson Cleaning products from Vons for my fall deep cleaning. Windex® Original Glass Cleaner, Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Grime Fighter Aerosol, Scrubbing Bubbles® Fresh Gel Toilet Cleaning Stamp, Pledge® Multisurface Cleaner, and Drano® Max Gel Clog Remover all help me get my house clean and ready for the holidays!

How to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays // Salty Canary

When I’m doing a deep clean on my home, I prefer to do a first pass to declutter and put things away 1-2 days beforehand so that I don’t have to both pickup and cleanup on the same day. I use a laundry basket to collect any items that don’t belong in each room and then as I go through the house, I put the items away in their correct places. Then, on the day of the deep cleaning, I take my laundry baskets; strip the beds; gather up all the towels, blankets, and clothes; and make piles so I can just keep switching out the washer and dryer throughout the day as I clean. And then, I get to scrubbing! 

How to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays // Salty Canary

Do you like to go room by room and get each room sparkling clean before moving onto the next one or do you like to do all the big tasks first (such as windows, blinds, rugs, etc.) and then go back to each room? I think I like going room by room but in case you like to tackle the bigger house-wide projects first, I’ve listed them below:

Overall Home:

  • Declutter
  • Dust ceilings for cobwebs
  • Dust light fixtures
  • Dust/clean window blinds, coverings, and curtains
  • Clean interior windows
  • Clean carpets/rugs (Rent a steam cleaner for a deep clean)

When we renovated our house, we installed double hung windows which tilt down so we can easily clean the upstairs exterior windows twice a year. Every time we do it, I’m always shocked by such a difference it makes in light coming in and visibility! I use Windex® Original Glass Cleaner on our windows because its unbeatable streak-free shine* is the best solution for lightening and brightening your home. Windex® Original Glass Cleaner starts working on dirt, grime, fingerprints and other messes even before you wipe.

How to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays // Salty Canary

A great place to start is with all the different living spaces such as your entryway, living room, dining room, den, family room, or home offices. 

Living Spaces:

  • Declutter
  • Dust ceilings for cobwebs
  • Dust light fixtures
  • Dust ceiling fans and rooms fans
  • Clean under and behind large pieces of furniture or hard-to-reach spots (sofas, tables, chairs, bookcases)
  • Clean televisions
  • Dust furniture
  • Vacuum/Dust Window Sills and baseboards
  • Clean carpets/rugs (Rent a steam cleaner for a deep clean)
  • Clean floors

I think the biggest, most challenging room in the house is the kitchen. It’s challenging for me because it’s the biggest room and the biggest mess in the house. With twin toddlers—I’m in there all day, every day. 

Kitchen:

  • Declutter
  • Clean out pantry
  • Clean out fridge
  • Dust ceilings for cobwebs
  • Dust light fixtures
  • Use a handheld vacuum to clean out drawers and under sinks and wipe down
  • Clean (or self clean) oven
  • Clean stovetop
  • Clean microwave
  • Clean sink, faucet, and countertops
  • Clean and disinfect trash cans
  • Vacuum/dust window sills and baseboards
  • Clean carpets/rugs (Rent a steam cleaner for a deep clean)
  • Clean floors
  • Restock paper towels, soap, dish towels
  • Clean or replace sponges and dish scrubs

Pledge® Multisurface Cleaner is gentle on surfaces but tough on messes! Its formula is designed to be gentle and safe for all your favorite surfaces, revealing their natural beauty without damaging them. Ideal for daily use on kitchen countertops, stainless steel fridges, coffee tables, and more. I love using it when cleaning out my pantry to get the dust and grime off the shelves!

How to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays // Salty Canary

What’s the one thing you hate to clean? For me? I hate cleaning toilets. I’ll do all the laundry in the room, piles and piles of it, to avoid cleaning a toilet. Well, I’ve got some toilet cleaning tips and tricks below. 

Bathrooms:

  • Declutter
  • Wash all towels
  • Dust ceilings for cobwebs
  • Dust light fixtures
  • Use a handheld vacuum to clean out drawers and under sinks and wipe down after
  • Unclog any slow moving drains
  • Clean bath and shower
  • Clean toilet
  • Clean mirrors
  • Clean sinks, faucets, and countertops.
  • Clean and disinfect trash cans
  • Vacuum/dust window sills and baseboards
  • Clean carpets/rugs (Rent a steam cleaner for a deep clean)
  • Clean floors
  • Restock toilet paper, soap, towels, scents
  • Clean or replace toothbrushes, makeup brushes, bath scrubs

I use Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Grime Fighter Aerosol because it has a penetrating foam that powers through grime where it hides and removes 100% of soap scum. Plus, it smells amazing! Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Grime Fighter Aerosol is best for cleaning large bathroom spaces—like the tub or shower—and in hard-to-reach places like between tiles and around fixtures. It’s an easy way to get tough on bathroom surface messes!

How to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays // Salty CanaryHow to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays // Salty Canary

And Scrubbing Bubbles® Fresh Gel Toilet Cleaning Stamp provides freshness with every flush. This isn’t just for fall cleaning but for year-round freshness! Simply stamp a gel disc just under the rim. Each stamp lasts up to 12 days! No touching. No scrubbing. No anything. Continuous, flush-activated freshening action. It’s a hands-free way to help keep toilet rings and limescale buildup away!

For some reason (I’m going to blame my husband and his beard trimming), our bathroom sinks often drain slowly. We use Drano® Max Gel Clog Remover because it works fast, is safe on all pipes, and the thick bleach formula penetrates standing water—clinging to tough clogs to blast them fast. It works great to remove hair (like my husband’s beard hair!) and other gunky clogs.

How to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays // Salty CanaryHow to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays // Salty Canary

Bedrooms:

  • Declutter
  • Wash all sheets, pillows, bedding, blankets, mattress protectors, and bed skirts
  • Flip mattress if applicable
  • Dust ceilings for cobwebs
  • Dust light fixtures
  • Dust ceiling fans and room fans
  • Dust furniture
  • Clean under and behind large pieces of furniture or hard to reach spots (beds, dressers, etc.)
  • Vacuum/dust window sills and baseboards
  • Clean carpets/rugs (Rent a steam cleaner for a deep clean)
  • Clean floors

Closets:

  • Declutter closets, donate/sell unwanted items, and switch from spring/summer wardrobe to fall/winter wardrobe.
  • Dust shelves
  • Vacuum
  • Clean floors

Other:

  • Clean washing machine and dryer 
  • Clean out dryer exhaust pipe (I hire someone to do this)
  • Service heater (I hire someone to do this)
  • Replace air filters
  • Have fireplace cleaned (If I had one, I would hire someone to do this)
  • Replace smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries
  • Check and restock first aid kits
  • Check and restock emergency kits and supplies

I like to make sure I have all my cleaning products on hand so I can clean for the holidays but also so I’m prepared for any unexpected messes during a holiday party or get-together. Plus, holiday dinner and parties can get pretty messy. So, after everyone goes home, I want to be able to tackle any messes right away! Again, I purchased all my S.C. Johnson cleaning products from Vons in the cleaning aisle. Whenever I shop, I make sure I use the Vons mobile app for coupons because who doesn’t like to save money? 

How to Do a Fall Deep Cleaning Before the Holidays // Salty Canary

Download my Fall Deep Cleaning Checklist Printable below and then get excited for a cozy fall season at home in a clean house!

Click here to download my Fall Deep Cleaning Checklist Printable.

 

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Petitebeauty

Saturday 6th of November 2021

I thought this was a great post! I loved the list! My place looks so much better!