Prepare Your Home for the Fall Season!!

As soon as the weather starts to cool and the leaves start to change, people begin thinking about the comforts of the fall season. From pumpkin-scented candles and nighttime bonfires to decorating your home for the season and completing your fall cleaning list, these tips will help you prepare your house and family for the autumn season.

Decorating for Fall

Transitioning your home from summer to fall means making changes that take the overall atmosphere of the home from bright and sunny to warm and cozy. Fortunately, you don’t have to make elaborate changes to your house to create a fall-like atmosphere. Browse online retailers, such as Boyles Furniture, to find new fall accents for your home. Make the seasonal transition easier by looking for rugs and throw pillows featuring autumn colors and designs. Additionally, spend some time at your local crafts store to find an array of pumpkin- and scarecrow-themed decor.

Other quick and easy redecorating ideas to consider include:

• Displaying fall-scented candles throughout your home
• Making a wreath from seasonal flowers
• Scouring stores for cheap canvas prints with an autumn theme
• Picking up outside fall decorations such as bales of hay, yard ornaments, and Halloween decorations

Deep Clean Your House

Fall is a great time to deep clean your home before it’s sealed up for the winter, especially if you live in an area with harsher winter weather. Keeping the windows and doors closed limits the amount of fresh air entering your home, so it’s important to tackle dust buildup before the cold weather arrives. To prepare your home:

• Deep clean every room in your house. Move furniture and appliances out of the way to clean the walls, baseboards, and floors underneath, too.
• Hire someone to clean your carpets and furniture. Having your furniture and carpet deep cleaned gets rid of excess dust and dirt.
• Fix and replace items around your house that are broken or worn out.
• Donate excess belongings to charity.

Prepare Your Home’s Exterior

Preparing the outside of your home for cool weather is just as important as preparing the inside. Start by completing any tasks you’ve been putting off such as pressure washing the house, driveway, or deck, making repairs, or weeding the flower beds. If you have an air conditioner unit that sits outside, make sure you clean it thoroughly and cover it once you’ve stopped using it for the year. Additionally, you need to clean out the gutters in the beginning of the fall season and again right before winter hits — clogged gutters often lead to roof problems and ice dams.

Also, don’t forget to schedule a time to rake your yard. Sometimes it’s difficult to determine whether it’s time to rake up the leaves. After all, you don’t want to rake the yard only to have it filled with leaves again the next day. To determine the best time to rake, look at the trees. If they are still filled with leaves, you can probably wait a bit, but if they are almost bare go ahead and rake up the fallen leaves. If you live in an urban area, make sure you check your leaf pickup dates too. Most cities only schedule leaf pickup a few times during the fall season and you don’t want to miss it.

If you haven’t kept up with your household chores over the summer, preparing your house for fall may require a lot of work. Streamline the process by making a list of everything you need to accomplish and delegate what you can to other members of your family.