It’s the golden season, everyone! Picturesque views outdoors, a tempting smell of hot chocolate and cinnamon, and building excitement for the festivities. But more than anything else, now is the best time to arrange a thorough cleaning for your home. The benefits of that are more than you can imagine - from a healthy and safe living environment to stable mental health and general wellbeing. Keen on rolling your sleeves up and getting the job done all by yourself? Great! Here is a comprehensive autumn deep cleaning checklist you’ll certainly need.

The Living Areas

Your living room, reception, dining room and home office are probably the places where you spend the most time during the day. Even though you clean them regularly, with the change of season, an additional, more thorough effort is required. So, follow these steps.

• Open the windows - allowing fresh air to circulate freely during any type of cleaning is crucial.
• Dust and wipe the light fixtures and ceiling fans (if you have any). Get rid of cobwebs that might have formed in the high corners.
• Remove the curtains to wash and wipe the poles and hooks.
• Work your way down - wipe, dust and clean any wall art or wall-mounted shelves and cupboards.
• Vacuum sofas and chairs. If you haven’t done it recently, arrange for upholstery cleaning. It’s really important before the flu season settles in.
• Clean, wipe, dust and polish the remaining furniture, including the areas behind it.
• Dust and wipe (with the appropriate equipment and products) any electronics.
• Clean the windows thoroughly, including the windowsills.
• Vacuum the floor, including under and behind heavy furniture.
• If you have carpets or rugs, definitely book a professional carpet cleaning service. Don’t risk doing this part yourself.
• If you have hard floors, mop diligently and use disinfectant on top.
• Wash and dry any cushions, throughs and small decorative textile.

The Bedrooms

It is absolutely essential for you to get a good night sleep every single night. And this will just not be possible if your bedroom hasn’t been deep cleaned in the past few months. Deep cleaning is not done for hygienic and sanitary reasons alone. It cleanses the environment on many different levels and purifies the air. This, in turn, guarantees higher levels of relaxation and ability to rest efficiently.

• Open the windows and allow fresh air to come in.
• Clean and dust the light fixtures and get rid of cobwebs.
• Pay attention to any wall art and make sure it is clean and polished.
• Turn the mattress, or better yet, arrange for a professional to come and clean it. You won’t regret that step.
• Take the curtains down and put them to wash or replace with thicker ones, suitable for colder months.
• Wipe and clean any furniture, as well as the wardrobes inside and out.
• Organise your closet by putting the light summer clothing at the back and bringing the woolly sweaters, hats, jeans and boots forward.
• Wipe clean the doors and door knobs.
• Clean the skirting boards.
• Vacuum or mop the floor and disinfect as a finishing touch.

The Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most important places in any home. They say it’s the soul. So, once autumn comes, it’s a natural urge to give it a good deep clean.

• Empty the cupboards and shelves starting from the top.
• Wipe and disinfect them inside and out.
• Check for cracks on the walls or close to the floor, which pests could use as an entrance.
• Organise the contents of all cupboards. We always recommend using labels. It makes everything easier, tidier and just more pleasant to look at.
• Empty and rearrange your pantry. Your summer supplies can now be swapped for more wintery ingredients.
• Clean the oven and the stoves. That might be a really challenging job, so if you are not sure you can deal with it, call a professional.
• Clean the microwave inside and out. You can use a few drops of essential oil diluted in water or a couple of lemon slices to remove any lingering unpleasant smells.
• Clean the dishwasher.
• Clean the fridge and defrost the freezer.
• Wipe all the switches and tiles on the walls.
• Clean and disinfect all work tops.
• Sanitise the sink.
• Vacuum, mop and disinfect the floor.

The Bathroom

Your bathroom will likely need a deep clean more often than the rest of the rooms in the property to maintain appropriate levels of hygiene. Again, here we start from the top and work our way down.

• Dust and clean areas close to the ceiling, including the air vent or bathroom windows.
• Empty the contents of the vanity and other storage facilities. Check for the expiry dates of any cosmetics and replace items where needed.
• Clean the vanity inside and out.
• Prep the bathtub / shower cabin and toilet with the appropriate deep clean solutions.
• Wipe the mirrors.
• Clean and disinfect the counters and sink.
• Replace any essential supplies that are running out and bring fresh towels.
• Go back to the bathtub / shower and toilet, scrub as necessary and disinfect.
• Mop the floor and sanitise.

Those are the main areas in your home that you need to pay special attention to during a deep clean. Of course, if you book a professional cleaning service, the experts will touch on more and cover further details.

What do you think about our autumn deep cleaning checklist? Is it something you can cope with on your own, or would you rather get some professional help?