• Entry
• Christmas Storage
• Office and Desk
• Halls, Stairs, and Closets
• Bathrooms
• Kitchen, Pantry, and Dining Room
• Living Room
• Family Room
• Bedrooms

Blustery winds and cooler temperatures make me want to hunker down by the fire with a good book. That’s not so romantic an idea, though, when a stack of old magazines overflows from the rack beside my favorite chair, smoke pours from the fireplace in a downdraft, and coffee stains spot the carpet at my feet.

There’s a reason old-timers cleaned twice a year, once in spring and again in fall. After the enforced confinement of winter, spring cleaning freshened the homestead. In a similar fashion, fall cleaning provides the opportunity to clear out a summer’s worth of dirt tracked in from out of doors. It also lets you perk up the house for the holidays, which is why I make this fall cleaning schedule part of the Old Bohemian Homestead Christmas Plan.

Old Bohemian Homestead Fall Cleaning Schedule

Area 1

Entry

Exterior:

• Hose off walls, doors, and windows.
• Re-caulk around doors and windows, as needed.
• Sweep the porch or stoop and walkway.
• Clean light fixtures and replace light bulbs, as needed.
• Clean or replace the welcome mat.
• Clean any furniture. Remove any that need to be stored through winter.
• Remove any potted plants that won’t go through the winter outside.
• Check the condition of the paint on your house, door, and trim.  Does it need repainting? If so, schedule it.
• Put up Christmas light hooks
• Hang Christmas lights.
• Decorate around a fall theme.

Interior:

• Wash or clean window hangings.
• Wash walls, windows, and doors.
• Check or add weatherproofing at the doors and windows.
• Clean the flooring or carpet.
• Clean or replace the entry rug.
• Clean light fixtures and replace light bulbs, as needed.
• Dust and polish any furniture.
• Do you need to add a coat rack or pegs? If so, add it to your shopping list or innovate to create a low- or no-cost version.
• Should there be a basket for shoes?
• Could you do with an umbrella stand?
• Is there room for a chair or bench for guests to use while taking off their shoes?
• Should you switch out decorations?

Area 2

Organize Your Christmas Storage

I confess to having too many Christmas decorations. I know they are too many because they make my husband’s forehead crease, and he is an absolute sap about Christmas (love that man)! I’ve been working to trim down our belongings in all areas, but I have to admit that letting go of the trappings of Christmas is hardest.  One of my secrets for making more seem like less has been organizing all our Christmas items. It also helps me find anything I need quickly, a bonus when time is tight.

If you have your own Christmas storage system, this week in the Old Bohemian Christmas Plan is the time to tweak it. Otherwise, you might want to glean from mine. If you didn’t organize so well when you put away Christmas items last year, take a little time to do it better now. Check to see if there is anything broken and either toss it or do the needed repair. Remove any items that don’t make your heart sing. Check light strings and decorations and list anything you need to pick up, then either make those purchases or schedule to make them.

Here are my Christmas storage categories:

• Lights
• Wreaths
• Wreath holders
• Garlands
• Christmas train
• Christmas village
• Candles
• Candle holders
• “Snow”
• Christmas pictures
• Bells
• Ornaments
• Nativities
• Snowmen decorations
• Tinsel
• Hooks
• Snow globes
• Christmas dishes
• Christmas mugs
• Reindeer decorations
• Candy Cane decorations
• “Sugared” Fruit decorations
• Sleighs
• Christmas Banners
• Christmas Table Runners
• Christmas Table Cloths
• Christmas Place Mats
• Christmas movies
• Christmas books
• Christmas sheet music
• Christmas DVD’s

Area 3

Office and Desk

• Put all clutter into boxes to be sorted.
• Wash the walls.
• Take down and clean wall hangings
• Wash the windows.
• Dust and polish woodwork and furniture.
• Clean the floor, and shampoo any carpet or rugs.
• Clean upholstery, as needed.
• Change out your wall decorations., if desired.
• Repair or replace the furniture, as needed.
• Purchase any organizers you may need.
• Sort desktop clutter and return organized papers to your desk.
• Clean and organize your desk drawers.
• Clean and organize your filing cabinet or other paper storage units.
• Treat yourself to a  brand new calendar for 2016.

Area 4

Halls, Stairs, and Closets

Hallways and Stairs

• Sort any clutter and either trash, give away, repair, or keep items.
• Vaccuum and shampoo the carpets and/or sweep, mop, and polish floors.
• Wash the walls and ceilings, as needed. Is it time to repaint?
• Clean doors, knobs, handles, and outlet covers.
• Check the light bulbs. Do any need to be replaced?
• Wash the light covers.
• Wash windows, inside and out.
• Look over your decorations. Is it time to switch them out?
• Are the heater registers looking worn?
• Do you need to make any minor repairs? If so, either do them now or schedule them for later.

Closets

• Think through your closet spaces to make sure you are storing everything logically. If you need to relocate some items, work with that in mind. It helps to write out your planned usage for each closet to refer to as you go.
• Remove and declutter items from the closet shelves.
• Clean closet shelves and return only what you want to keep.
• Remove clothing from rods and decide which to keep and which to get give or throw away. If something needs repair, be honest with yourself about your desire to mend it. I’m in favor of mending your clothes, but that activity does have to be in proportion with the rest of life.
• Put back only what you want to keep.
• Remove everything from the closet floor and sort through it to determine what you will keep, what belongs elsewhere, and what needs to find a new home.
• Clean the closet floor.
• Do you need to add any storage items (like baskets, boxes, or a closet system)?
• Return all items that you plan to keep on the closet floor.

Area 5

Bathrooms

• Take everything out of drawers, cupboards, and cabinets and remove from the bathroom.
• Wipe out drawers, cupboards, and cabinets.
• Line drawers and cabinets with new shelf paper, if you use it.
• Dust light bulbs and replace any that are burned out.
• Dust the ceiling fan, light bar, shelves and tops of cabinets.
• Clean cabinet and cupboard exteriors. Do you need to freshen the paint or finish?
• Dust any pictures or wall decorations.
• Wash shower curtains and/or shower doors.
• Wash curtains, rugs, and mats.
• Wash walls, doors, and baseboards.
• Scrub the bathtub and/or shower.
• Clean mirrors.
• Clean faucets, doorknobs, handles, and pulls.
• Clean sinks and toilets.
• Clean counters. Do they need to be recovered, repainted, or refinished?
• Check water drainage from the sink. Is it slow? If so, clean out the pipes or have someone do it for you.
• Are there any leaks? Either fix them or have someone else do it.
• Vacuum the heater vent. Is the register looking worn? If so, replace it.
• Look over the curtains, shower curtain, rugs, bath or shower mats, towels, washcloths, and hand towels for signs of wear. Is it time to replace any of these items?
• Are you getting tired of the decorations? What else could you use to decorate?

Area 6

Kitchen, Pantry, and Dining Room

Kitchen

• Clean out the refrigerator and really wipe it down well. Get the top , too.
• Would your refrigerator be more organized if you rearranged any of the shelves or drawers?
• Thoroughly clean the dishwasher exterior.
• Clean the oven.
• Give the stove top a good cleaning.
• Do any of the stove elements or drip pans need to be replaced?
• Clean the microwave, inside and out.
• If you have a trash compactor or other large appliances, clean them.
• Clean under the sink.
• Could you add any under-sink racks or shelves to bring order to this area?
• Clean and disinfect the garbage can, recycling containers, and the compost pail, if you use one.
• Do any need trash cans need replacing?
• Do you need a better trash system?
• Do you need to  organize your kitchen?
• Clean, declutter, and organize all cupboards.
• Clean, declutter, and organize all drawers.
• Clean, declutter, and organize all cabinets.
• Clean the walls and baseboards.
• Clean heat registers and vaccuum the ducts.
• Wash the curtains.
• Clean the windows, inside and out.
• Clean the light fixtures and replace any burnt-out light bulbs.
• Replace  appliance light bulbs, as needed.
• Wipe doorknobs, handles, and pulls.
• Scrub the counters.
• Clean the faces of cabinets and cupboards. Do you need to repair, replace, or repaint these?
• Clean any counter stools.
• Wipe down the phone, if you keep one in the kitchen.
• Clean the floors.

Pantry

• Clean, declutter, and organize pantry shelves.
• Inventory items in your pantry and list any purchases you need to make.
• Do you need to add any storage containers?

Dining Room

• Wash the walls and baseboards.
• Clean the curtains, blinds, or drapes.
• Wash the windows.
• Clean and polish the table.
• Wipe down the dining chairs. Do any need to be repaired or reupholstered?
• Dust wall hangings.
• Do your decorations need to be replaced?

Area 7

Living Room

• Remove all items belonging elsewhere.
• Wash or dry clean curtains or drapes.
• Clean any blinds or shades.
• Wash the walls and trim.
• Wash the windows, inside and out.
• Polish any glass or mirrors.
• Polish furniture.
• Clean the light fixtures and change light bulbs, as needed.
• Vacuum and shampoo the carpet or rug(s) and/or clean the hardwood or tile floor.
• Vacuum out any heating ducts.
• Clean the registers. Do they need to be replaced?
• Clean and organize all items belonging in the room.
• Do the decorations need to be changed?

Area 8

Family Room

• Remove all items belonging elsewhere.
• Wash or dry clean curtains or drapes.
• Clean any blinds or shades.
• Wash the walls and trim.
• Wash the windows, inside and out.
• Polish any glass or mirrors.
• Polish furniture
• Clean the light fixtures and change light bulbs, as needed.
• Vacuum and shampoo the carpet or rug(s) and/or clean the hardwood or tile floor.
• Vacuum out any heating ducts.
• Clean the registers. Do they need to be replaced?
• Clean and organize all items belonging in the room.
• Do the decorations need to be changed?

Area 9

Bedrooms

• Remove all items belonging elsewhere.
• Remove curtains and drapes for cleaning.
• Clean any blinds or shades.
• Wash the walls.
• Take down and clean wall hangings.
• Wash the windows.
• Dust and polish woodwork, furniture and shelves.
• Dust the lampshades and picture frames.
• Remove and clean light fixture covers and replace bulbs, as needed.
• Clean the floor, and shampoo any carpet or rugs.
• Clean the mattress and bedding.
• Clean any upholstered furniture.
• Change out your wall decorations, if desired.
• Repair or replace any worn or broken furniture.