Spring Cleaning in the Fall? Experts Say You Should Get on Board

For hundreds—if not thousands—of years, people have been cleaning their homes when the weather starts to warm up in March and April, a ritual with religious and cultural roots linked to springtime holidays like Passover and Easter. This deep-cleaning helps us declutter, refresh our home, and clear out dirt and germs that accumulated while our house was closed up during the cold winter months.

After all these years of spring cleaning being ingrained in our culture, fall cleaning now is also on the rise. A new survey from the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) discovered that 89 percent of respondents believe that fall cleaning should hold the same importance as spring cleaning. ACI acknowledges that this trend makes sense, since fall cleaning serves as a way to transition from summertime to the colder months and holiday season. A thorough cleaning helps remove dirt, dust, and allergens that accumulate over the summer. Also, several specific cleaning tasks are best performed in the fall, such as gutter cleaning.

We talked to several home cleaning and organizing experts to hear their take on whether fall cleaning is the new spring cleaning.

Experts agree that fall cleaning is becoming more common.

ACI’s survey aligns with what experts are experiencing in their businesses. “I’ve observed firsthand the rise of fall cleaning,” says Josh Miller, owner of Clean Carpets in the U.K. “More clients are prioritizing fall cleaning to prepare for the colder months ahead,” says Miller. He thinks fall cleaning is essential, especially right before the holidays when more people spend time indoors and are hosting guests in their homes. 

Christina Giaquinto, a professional organizer in Nashville, Tennessee, and brand ambassador of Modular Closets, has also noticed the rise of the fall-cleaning trend. “People are making a greater effort to thoroughly clean their homes in autumn to tackle cleaning tasks they won’t be able to do during the colder winter months,” she says. “Also, with the cold and flu season just around the bend, people want to keep their homes clean and germ-free to lower their chances of getting sick,” says Giaquinto.

Ryan Knoll, owner of the cleaning company Tidy Casa in Phoenix, Arizona, is thrilled that more homeowners are recognizing the benefits of a seasonal cleaning habit. “Deep-cleaning your home should not be a once-a-year occurrence,” he says. “Dust, dirt, and grime accumulate fast in a home, especially if you have pets, so homeowners should do a deep clean at least twice a year, if not one every time the season shifts,” says Knoll. 

Fall cleaning is linked to cold and flu season.

ACI’s Fall Cleaning Survey also addressed whether people change their cleaning habits during cold and flu season. About a third (27 percent) said they preemptively change their cleaning habits for the entire season, while 40 percent said they clean more if someone in the home is sick or if there is an uptick in illness numbers overall. An additional 18 percent said they clean more if guests are coming over.  

These same respondents overwhelmingly agree that fall cleaning should be treated like spring cleaning, placing value on keeping their homes clean throughout the cold and flu season. Indeed, fall cleaning helps create a healthier environment, removing allergens like dust and pollen that might have collected on windowsills and other spots in the home throughout the summer when windows and doors were open more often. It’s also important to address mold and mildew growth during the cooler autumn months, which can trigger allergies and cause other health problems. 

Miller agrees that fall cleaning helps improve health during the winter. “Removing mold spores and pollen from carpets and upholstery with a deep-cleaning can ease attack scenes from allergies.” He adds that cleaning air ducts can help stop the spread of cold and flu viruses, “thereby ensuring a cleaner abode during the cold season.”

Fall is the best time to address certain cleaning tasks.

In addition to maintaining a healthier environment, adding fall cleaning into your routine helps you declutter for a cozier indoor lifestyle throughout the colder months. While cleaning in fall, you can help prevent pest infestations by eliminating hiding spots and sealing off entry points in and around your home. By cleaning vents and replacing filters in fall, a homeowner can enhance HVAC efficiency, while improving indoor air quality and reducing energy bills. 

Knoll points out that adding certain fall-cleaning chores will improve your chances of staying healthy in winter. “Cleaning your air ducts and changing the filters will do wonders for your health this fall,” says Knoll. “We breathe in a lot of the dirt and pet hair that gets blown in and out of our air ducts. Breathing this stuff in can affect fall allergies and germs, and bacteria in your ducts can get you sick for flu season. Cleaning this area ensures you breathe in less bad stuff and the filter is catching more of those particles,” says Knoll.

Add these tasks to your fall-cleaning checklist.

To start, Knoll suggests cleaning everything you would clean during spring cleaning, including baseboards, air vents, windows, and the areas behind appliances. “Sweep up the garage, too. Anyplace you don’t clean regularly should get extra attention,” he says. 

Miller considers the following to be the major house-cleaning tasks for fall:

• Clean gutters to prevent damage due to excess water from improper drainage, which is much more essential during the wet autumn season.
• Clean carpets to remove dust and allergens that settled during the summer.
• Deep-clean HVAC systems and air ducts to improve air quality indoors.

Giaquinto adds the following must-do fall cleaning chores:

• Wipe down and store all outdoor furniture. 
• Sweep and check your chimney in the fall for blockages.
• Wash windows and screens to remove any grime that accumulated over the summer. 
• Clean off light fixtures to ensure good lighting.
• Dust off ceiling fans, which can help prevent moving more dust around the room.
• Get your HVAC system professionally cleaned and inspected. 
• Inspect weatherstripping and caulking around your house to prevent drafts.
• Declutter clothes before winter begins. Just before the holiday season is a great time to donate items you clear out.