There is a small window between the end of summer and the start of the holiday season when life feels a little more settled.
The kids are back in school. Vacations are over. The weather starts cooling down. And Thanksgiving still feels far enough away that you aren’t thinking about guest rooms, holiday meals, decorations, and everything else that comes with November and December.
That little window? Use it.
At Plan: B Cleaning, we think early fall is one of the best times to get your home back in order. Taking care of cleaning and organizing now means you’ll have less to worry about when the holidays arrive.
Because once they start, they really don’t stop.
Start With the Summer Mess
Summer has a way of spreading itself throughout the house.
There are shoes by the door, sunscreen in random places, pool towels that never quite made it back where they belong, and closets that somehow became storage areas for everything you didn’t know what to do with.
Before you start thinking about fall decorating, take some time to put summer away.
Wash and store seasonal linens and towels. Go through the entryway and mudroom. Put away outdoor toys and summer gear. Clear out anything your family won’t need again until next year.
You don’t have to reorganize the entire house. The goal is simply to make room for the next season.
Give High Traffic Areas Some Attention
Once school and fall activities begin, certain parts of your home start working overtime.
Entryways collect shoes, backpacks, jackets, sports equipment, and eventually leaves and mud. Kitchens become the center of busy weeknight dinners. Bathrooms get rushed through every morning. Living rooms become homework spaces, football watching spaces, and everything in between.
These are good areas to focus on first.
Clean the floors thoroughly. Wipe down doors and frequently touched surfaces. Give baseboards some attention. Clear unnecessary items from countertops.
A little extra effort now can make these spaces much easier to maintain as your schedule gets busier.
Don’t Wait Until Guests Are Coming to Deep Clean
We’ve all done it.
Company is coming, and suddenly you’re noticing every dusty baseboard, fingerprint, cobweb, and spot on the bathroom mirror.
That’s not exactly how anyone wants to spend the day before Thanksgiving.
If you know you’ll be hosting during the holidays, schedule your deep cleaning before the holiday rush begins.
A professional deep cleaning gives your home a reset. Once the bigger cleaning tasks are handled, maintaining your home before guests arrive becomes much more manageable.
Instead of cleaning everything at once, you’re simply keeping an already clean home looking good.
That’s a much better Plan: A.
And when Plan: A doesn’t happen? Well, you know who to call.
Make Room in the Kitchen
Fall is the beginning of serious kitchen season.
Weeknight dinners become more frequent. Crockpots come back out. Baking starts sounding like a good idea again. Then suddenly you’re preparing Thanksgiving dinner and wondering why you own six bottles of mustard.
Before holiday cooking begins, give your kitchen some breathing room.
Go through the pantry and discard expired items. Check the refrigerator and freezer. Clear unnecessary items from countertops. Wipe down cabinet fronts and frequently used surfaces.
You don’t need a perfectly organized Pinterest pantry.
You just need enough space to actually use your kitchen.
Get Guest Spaces Ready Early
If overnight guests are part of your holiday plans, don’t wait until the week they’re arriving to think about where they’re sleeping.
Take a look at the guest room now.
If it has become the place where laundry, boxes, and miscellaneous household items go to disappear, you’re definitely not alone.
Clear the clutter, wash the bedding, dust the furniture, and make sure guests have some space for their belongings.
Don’t have a dedicated guest room? The same idea applies. If someone will be sleeping in an office, basement, or another shared space, preparing it early will save you a lot of stress later.
Pay Attention to the Places You Usually Forget
Every home has them.
The areas you walk past every day without really seeing until someone is coming over.
Think about:
- Baseboards
- Ceiling fans
- Light fixtures
- Door frames
- Window sills
- Cabinet fronts
- Behind furniture
- Under beds
- Tops of furniture
- Frequently touched doors and handles
You certainly don’t have to tackle everything at once. Pick a few areas each week or bring in some help to get everything handled at once.
Create a Cleaning Routine You Can Actually Maintain
Fall schedules get busy quickly.
School. Sports. Work. Activities. Appointments. Weekend plans.
If your cleaning routine only works when you have an entire Saturday available, it’s probably not going to work very well during the fall.
Instead, focus on keeping up with the things that make the biggest difference.
Put things away as you use them. Wipe down kitchen surfaces after meals. Keep laundry moving. Stay on top of floors in high traffic areas. Give bathrooms regular attention.
And don’t expect yourself to do everything.
Sometimes the best cleaning routine is knowing which tasks you want to handle and which ones you’d rather hand over to someone else.
Think About the Holidays Now, Not in November
You don’t need to start decorating for Christmas in September.
Please don’t tell Debbie we suggested that.
But you can make life easier for your future holiday self.
Think about where guests will gather. Decide what rooms need the most attention. Schedule professional cleaning before calendars fill up. Take care of projects you’ve been putting off.
A little preparation now can prevent that frantic cleaning marathon later.
A Cleaner Fall Makes for an Easier Holiday Season
Preparing your home for fall isn’t about having a picture perfect house.
It’s about making your home easier to live in.
When the clutter is under control, the deeper cleaning is handled, and you have a routine that works, you’re able to enjoy the season instead of constantly thinking about what needs to be cleaned next.
And when the holidays arrive, you’ll already be ahead.
If your house needs a reset before the busiest time of year begins, Plan: B Cleaning can help.
Because the holidays will give you plenty to do. Cleaning doesn’t have to be one of them.
Contact Plan: B Cleaning today to schedule your fall cleaning.
Fall Home Cleaning FAQs
When should I start preparing my home for the holidays?
Early fall is a great time to start. You don’t need to prepare everything at once, but tackling cleaning, clutter, and guest spaces in September and October can make November and December much less stressful.
Should I schedule a deep cleaning before Thanksgiving?
If you’re hosting Thanksgiving or holiday gatherings, scheduling a deep cleaning ahead of time can make final preparations much easier. You’ll only need to maintain the home rather than trying to deep clean everything right before guests arrive.
What areas should I clean first for fall?
Start with the spaces your family uses most, such as the kitchen, bathrooms, entryway, living areas, and floors. After those are under control, move on to less frequently cleaned areas like baseboards, doors, trim, and light fixtures.
How can I keep my house clean during a busy fall schedule?
Keep your routine simple and realistic. Focus on small daily tasks and regular maintenance rather than saving everything for the weekend. Professional recurring cleaning can also help prevent chores from piling up.
Is professional cleaning worth it before the holidays?
For busy households, it can be. Having the larger cleaning tasks taken care of gives you more time for shopping, cooking, decorating, family activities, and actually enjoying the holiday season.
