If you want to prepare for the fall and holidays, here is how to build your ultimate fall cleaning l

It seems like summer has come and gone in the blink of an eye. For some people, it's a welcome change from the heat. For others, however, they find themselves begrudging the oncoming cold weather. 

Regardless of which camp you belong in, it doesn't change the fact that fall is upon us. Is your home ready for the new season?

There are a lot of fall and winter holidays that bring a variety of friends and family into our homes. And nobody likes to present an unclean house. Now is the perfect time to whip out the fall cleaning checklist to prepare your home for the upcoming seasons and holidays before it gets too cold!

For the complete and in-depth fall cleaning list, follow along.

1. Make Fall Cleaning a Group Effort

First and foremost, a true comprehensive fall cleaning effort requires the aid of everyone in the house. Don't attempt to do this alone, unless, of course, you live alone. 

If you have a family living with you, you have a working-party built into the home. Make the kids take care of their areas and you and your spouse can split up the rest.

However, we're going to be tackling a lot of cleaning projects on this list and trying to do it by yourself will be a tedious process. Even if you live alone, see if one of your closest friends wants to come over and help with the promise of pizza and beer afterward. 

2. Declutter

Before you bring out any of the fall cleaning gear, you first need to declutter your home. Most, if not all of us have way too much stuff. Most people don't even wear 50 percent of the clothes in their wardrobe.

This excess stuff makes our home feel cluttered, and consequently, unclean. Taking a day to separate piles of stuff you no longer need or want is a great way to start the fall cleaning process. It's also a great way to make some extra cash.

It may be too late for garage sales, but you can use social media market pages to sell you stuff or donate to charity. Just use the rule of thumb - if you don't use it, need it, or love it, it needs to go.

A cleared home allows you to reorganize furniture and stage your home like the pros.

3. Clear Out the Gutters

One of the most beautiful occurrences of fall is the changing colors of the leaves that eventually fall to the ground. However, many of those leaves never make it to the ground. Instead, they get trapped in our gutters. 

If your gutters are already clogged up and full, this can end up causing some big problems when the rain and snow start to pour in earnest. Make sure you clear them out to avoid improper water drainage, harmful ice build-up, and water damage to your roof.

4. Sanitize the Bathrooms

Since we're already doing the dirty work, let's talk about cleaning the bathrooms. However, we don't mean simply giving it a quick once-over like normal. 

For your fall cleaning checklist, let's deep clean and sanitize your bathroom. This means scrubbing the tub and shower to remove any soap scum, cleaning the grout of the tile, and sanitizing everything in the room.

Bacteria from flushing the toilet has an incredible ability to become airborne and spread all over the bathroom. Do everyone a favor and scrub the bathroom from floor to ceiling.

5. Deep Clean the Kitchen

Another room that tends to build up dirt and gunk is the kitchen. However, cleaning the kitchen is about more than wiping down the counters and mopping the floor.

Take this fall cleaning time to clear out your cupboards pantry and fridge, removing any expired foods. You'll be surprised at how many you find. 

Also make sure to clean the fridge, oven, microwave, and dishwasher inside and out. Cleaning grease off the stove will be the most tedious part, but it needs to be done. Then, you can focus on the floors.

6. Scrub the Hard Floors and Shampoo the Carpets

Speaking of floors, this is the perfect time of year to do a complete and thorough cleaning. Start by sweeping the hard floors and vacuuming the carpets. Then, mop and scrub the hard floors and shampoo the carpets. 

If you don't have a shampooer, you can rent one or hire a company to come steam clean the carpets. Either way, it's worth it to make your floors feel fresh and new.

7. Clear Out the Closets

We already mentioned decluttering, but did you hit up your coat and storage closets? These areas are often neglected and used to toss random items you have nowhere else to stow. 

Go through these closets and figure out what you need. It may just need to be organized as well.

8. Binge-Clean the Bedrooms

Next, you can focus on the bedrooms. By this point, your kids should be done with theirs. However, we all know the cleaning ability kids have. They clean for five minutes, get distracted with their toys, and then you find them asleep on the floor or completely engaged in something else.

Don't get frustrated, it's just how kids are. You'll probably have to help them go through and organize all their stuff. It's a bummer, but that's what you signed up for.

9. Scrub the Walls and Baseboards

Next on your fall cleaning checklist are all the vertical surfaces. You need to go room to room and clean the walls and baseboards. You'll be surprised how many scrapes, dents, and scuff marks have accumulated over time, especially in passageways or hallways.

If you're up for it, now may also be a good time to add a fresh coat of paint or remove that old wallpaper.

10. Dust High to Low

Before you get the paint out, however, make sure you dust everything with a wet dusting spray and rag. The dry dusters are nice, but they tend to displace more than clean. Make sure you hit everything high up, including ceiling fans and light fixtures too.

Take time now to do a thorough job, removing all items on shelves to dust behind them. Don't forget to clean picture frames, wall hangings, and window treatments!

11. Clean Out Your Appliances

Next on your fall cleaning agenda is the remaining appliances. Your kitchen appliances should be done from when you cleaned the kitchen, so there aren't many left to do.

Now, it's time to focus on the washer, dryer, and HVAC system. Most washing machines have a self-cleaning process which makes your job much easier. It wouldn't be wrong to remove the lint from the rear vent hose on the dryer, as it often builds up there.

Make sure you replace the filter for your HVAC system, especially now that the heater is going to be running a lot.

12. Give the Yard a Final Once-Over

Before it gets too cold, you should make a final effort on your yard and the exterior of your home. 

This includes cutting the grass, trimming back vegetation, cleaning up any leaves that may have already fallen, etc. It also means washing the side of the house, the driveway, and any sidewalks.

This also might be a good time to wash and clean out the car one more time.

13. Get All the Summer Clothes Washed and Stowed Away

The next step on your fall cleaning list is taking care of all the summer clothes you won't be needing for the next few months. First, make sure they're all clean, you don't want funky clothes stinking up your storage area for six months.

Next, stow them away somewhere they won't be in the way. This could be at the back of closets, the bottom of drawers, etc. Some people also choose to put summer clothes in totes and store them in the basement, garage or shed.

14. Change Up the Decor

Fall cleaning is also a great excuse to refresh the decor around your home. Additionally, fall decor is a favorite for many homeowners.

Reward yourself for all of your hard work cleaning your home. Go shopping for some fall decor and allow yourself to be creative and have fun.

Remember, fall and winter give you Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorating opportunities!

15. Refresh All Sheets and Blankets

As discussed above, fall brings with it rain, snow, and colder nights. Use your fall cleaning time to replace everyone's bedding with warmer sheets and blankets. They'll be thankful you did once the temperatures outside get below freezing! 

This can also be encompassed as part of your fall decorating. Feel free to buy new blankets to help give rooms whole new feelings.

Relax and Stay Warm

Phew! That's an extensive fall cleaning list. However, once it's done, you'll be grateful to have a fresh, clean, and decluttered home that's ready for fall!

Good luck, and remember to have fun with it and stay warm this fall and winter!

Finally, if you're checking out this fall cleaning checklist because you want to sell your house, we can help with that too!