Inside: Do these ten tasks to complete in your home this fall to prepare your home and life for the coming winter season.
As the seasons change, it’s helpful to stay on top of certain tasks that may not have been done in the previous season.
With the transition from fall to winter, there are a number of things you can do to help ensure that your home is ready for the cooler months. Tackling these jobs can also help prepare your home for the coming holidays.
This list of tasks to complete in your home this fall is a great starting point for maintaining your home and getting ready for the months ahead.
The transition from fall to winter
The change in temperature and humidity during the year can be rough on homes. The hot humid summer air can increase the growth of mold and mildew.
Opening your windows, as weather permits, can help clear out the stale air and freshen up your space.
The fall season provides a great opportunity to do preventative maintenance in your home. Set aside the time to complete these tasks in the fall in preparation for the months ahead. You’ll thank yourself later.
10 Tasks to Complete in Your Home in the Fall
Complete as many of these tasks as you are able during the fall months. They will help prepare your home for the winter months and the holiday season.
1. Clear away possible mold and mildew
Clean areas that may be harboring mold or mildew from the summer’s hot humid air.
This includes taking a vinegar-soaked rag and wiping down the gaskets on the doors of refrigerators and freezers to kill the mold that often starts to form there in the winter due to condensation.
Likewise, clean and, if needed, replace calk in areas like your bathroom that may have started growing mold. It’s important to stop mold from growing as soon as possible to keep it from becoming a bigger problem.
2. Prepare your plants for winter
If you have a garden or outdoor plants you will want to take time to prepare your garden for the winter.
This can be as simple as tilling old stalks into the soil to help refresh the nutrients for next year’s vegetable garden or as complicated as digging up tropical bulbs to bring inside because they will not handle the cold winter freezes.
Research each type of plant individually to find out the best time of year to cut it back (& how to approach it).
3. Clean out your pantry and freezer
Fall grocery sales are some of the best of the year as people prepare for the holiday season.
One of the best tasks to complete in the fall is to give your pantry and freezer a good cleaning and organizing.
This will let you ensure that you are using up food before it goes to waste and allows you to make room for stocking up during the sales to save money later.
A word of caution here though is to make sure you are only buying items you can and will use up.
4. Clean your carpets and furniture
With people coming in and out over the summer your carpet and even your sofa may have taken a bit of a beating.
Cleaning these items in the summer when the humidity is very high can be difficult and even lead to the growth of mold due to the humidity slowing down your drying time.
In the fall, once it is cold enough to kick on the heat at night, you can clean these areas and the heat will reduce the humidity and help dry everything out.
Removing your shoes after entering your home will help your carpets stay cleaner longer.
5. Winterize your home
As the weather cools it’s helpful to get your home prepared for the winter, especially if you live in a cold climate.
In the fall you should update your do list to include things like checking your weather stripping, putting plastic over drafty windows, and using expanding foam to fill in any gaps that may allow air or pests in.
Depending on where you live, it may be a good idea to turn off the water to the outside of your home to prevent pipes from freezing. And don’t forget that if you go on vacation during the cooler months, make sure your home stays warm enough to prevent pipes from freezing then too.
Have your kids help with winterizing projects as they’re able so they can learn this valuable life skill.
6. Make your holiday to-do list
Fall is the perfect time to prepare your home and family for the holidays.
The earlier that you get organized and make your holiday to-do list, the less hectic it will make your holiday season.
Before getting all stressed out over the holidays, consider what things you can simplify this year.
Decide what your most important priorities are and cut back on the things that aren’t crucial. Talk to family members about opting out of gift-giving and enjoying an experience together instead.
Just because you have done certain things in other years doesn’t mean you have to do them again. Re-evaluate what matters most and be willing to get creative to make this holiday season more enjoyable and less stressful this year.
7. Swap out your decor
As the weather cools, it’s natural to want to swap out some of your home decor to make your home feel cozy, relaxing, and welcoming.
Adding elements of hygge to your home, such as warm throw blankets and candles is a great way to add warmth to your space.
Whether you’re someone who likes to decorate for Christmas first thing in November or you prefer to wait until after Thanksgiving, at some point this fall you will want to change out some of your holiday decor.
This doesn’t mean that you need to have a lot of things for each season. It’s completely fine to keep your decor simple. It’s most important to do what works for you and that doesn’t cause you to feel stressed and overwhelmed.
8. Change out your wardrobe
As the weather turns cold take the time to pack away summer clothing as you bring out warm comfortable clothing.
Depending on the weather where you live and the space in your home, you may want to keep your clothes for every season in your closet. But for other people, this doesn’t work as well due to space constraints.
Even if you do store all your clothing in your closet, the fall is the perfect time to look them over and declutter the clothes you know that you won’t wear again.
This is especially important in kids’ rooms where they often end up with clothes they outgrew long ago still taking up space in their dressers.
Clearing out clothes that don’t fit or that you no longer wear can save a lot of time later. It’s much quicker to get ready when you only have clothes in your wardrobe that you actually like and wear.
9. Perform essential fall maintenance
Fall is a great time to do the essential maintenance in your home from changing your furnace filters to checking that your smoke alarms work.
Bigger tasks like cleaning out your gutters can be really helpful as the winter storm season rolls in.
Likewise, you should use the fall to stock and prepare for dealing with snow and ice so you are not caught off guard by the first storm of the year.
This fall maintenance will help make your life easier and while you work through it you can make a list to refer to again next year.
10. Clean your oven
With crisp fall weather comes baking season. Make a point to clean your oven when the weather turns cool.
If you have a self-cleaning oven, many experts suggest not using that feature as it can end up damaging it.
This is a great time to do a quick inventory of your pans and baking supplies so you can replace anything that needs it.
As the holidays and winter roll around you’ll be glad you took the time in the fall to complete this task in your home.
Looking for more ways to prepare for the holidays?
Check out this post on the best things to declutter before the holidays.
And this post on how to embrace hygge in your home this winter.
Which of the tasks to complete in your home this fall will you do first? Share it in the comments.
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