Fall Cleaning – Preparing Your House for Fall

Fall is fast approaching, which means the holidays will be close behind. Getting your fall cleaning and preparation done now means more time to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and have all the time you need to prepare for the upcoming holiday season. Here in South Florida, you don’t experience the drastic weather changes like other areas of the country, but there are still some cleaning and preparation you can to get ready for fall’s cooler, less humid temperatures. Though it’s not the deep cleaning of spring, these tips can get you well on the way to a clean, organized home this fall.

Give Your Smoke Detectors Some Attention

There is nothing worse than being awakened in the night by a malfunctioning smoke detector. Typically, these false alarms come as a result of dust accumulation or faulty batteries. You should test your smoke detectors regularly and keep them clean. Since you’ve likely heeded the reminder to add fresh batteries in the spring (when springing forward for Daylight Savings Time), why not use “falling back” into standard time as the time to test and clean your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors? Cleaning your units is simple, using your vacuum cleaner. Use the soft brush attachment to clean off dust and accumulated grime from your detectors and then run the system or unit test to make sure all is in working order. This is also the time to replace old units which are more than ten years old.

Vacuum Your Upholstered Furniture

While you’ve got the vacuum out and prepped for cleaning, this is the ideal opportunity to vacuum your upholstered furniture. If you don’t do it regularly or haven’t done it before, fall is the perfect time to get in the routine. Upholstered furniture can trick you into thinking its clean, until you sit down and see the dust rising and surrounding you! Vacuum your upholstered pieces – sofas, chairs, ottomans, etc. – with the appropriate attachments. Be sure to vacuum the backs, arms, and sides of the pieces along with the cushions –  tops, bottoms, sides, and even the platform on which they rest.

Fall is Mattress Flipping Season

As you prepare to turn the clocks back to standard time, you should turn your mattresses as well. Turning your pillowtop mattress or flipping your traditional mattress prevents slumping, bumps, and impressions from forming and subsequently ruining your good night’s sleep. Once you turn or flip, apply baking soda to eliminate odors, and vacuum your mattress before putting the clean sheets back on.

Shampoo your Carpet to Prep for the Holidays

Now that you’ve cleaned the upholstered furniture and turned or flipped your mattress, it’s the perfect time to shampoo your carpet before all the holiday happenings begin. This is a project you can DIY with a rented carpet cleaner, but your best bet is to hire a professional carpet cleaning service. Many people DIY carpet cleaning in between professional cleanings to keep their carpets looking great all year long. Either way, fall is a great time to clean your carpets. Once your carpets are cleaned, it’s a great time to clean your doormats, or better yet replace them to ensure dirt stays outside and isn’t tracked onto your freshly cleaned carpets.

When the time comes for fall cleaning and preparation, call on the team at Signature Maids to help you handle the tasks large and small, with exceptional service at affordable prices.

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