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Ready Your Home for Fall to Savor the Season More
Settle into the pleasures of autumn with a home that's prepped, organized and full of seasonal delights
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/), my blog devoted to all of the things that make a house a home - decorating from the heart, living with intention, and savoring life's simple pleasures.
Houzz Contributor. You can also find me on Lolalina (http://www.lolalina.com/),... More »
Fall is a glorious season. With blazing leaves and roaring fires, apple picking, harvest festivals and sweater weather, there is so much to look forward to. And with that studious, back-to-business mood permeating the air, we feel invigorated to take on new projects and work a bit harder. Kick off this busy season by taking the time now to prepare your home, incorporating both important tasks (like cleaning the chimney) and pure pleasures (like treating yourself to a luxe bath product).
These 14 tasks will help you seamlessly transition your home from summer to fall.
These 14 tasks will help you seamlessly transition your home from summer to fall.
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| 1. Inspect the roof, gutters and drainpipes. Depending on your climate, you may want to hold off until later in the fall (when most leaves have dropped) before cleaning the gutters, but doing a visual inspection now is a good idea. If any branches and leaves fell during summer storms, remove them so they don't cause blockages during autumn rains. Inspecting your roof now will leave ample time to have repairs or a replacement made before winter. |
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| 2. Edit your crafting stash. If you knit, sew or practice any other craft that comes with lots of supplies, it's time to begin sorting and purging that mountainous stash. Fall and winter will beckon with cold afternoons that are perfect for engaging in making something with your own two hands — be ready! |
| 3. Move firewood to a covered area. Be sure to check for insects before bringing any wood indoors. Don't store wood with bugs, especially termites, indoors (or against the outside of your house). |
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4. Have chimneys cleaned before you light that first autumn fire. Residue buildup and blockages in chimneys are a common cause of house fires, so be sure to have a pro take a look before sparking that first flame.
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5. Organize the entry. Fall brings with it loads of jackets, mucky boots and bundles of paper. Think ahead and give every type of item a home. That means baskets and bins for accessories, hooks for jackets and bags, and shelves or metal trays for shoes and boots. Add a pin board or a magnet board with a calendar, a place to drop keys and mail, and a bin for recycling, and you should have all of your bases covered.
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| 6. Clear your desk. If you do any work from home (or have a student in the house), now is the ideal time to tackle those piles of paper and start this busy season with a clean and clear workspace. Have drawers, cabinets or shelving within arm's reach so you can easily put things away and not clutter up that desk again. |
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| 7. Sort the pantry. Set the stage for healthy dinners by creating a neat and orderly pantry with healthful choices front and center. Toss expired foods and consolidate packages that have just a little left. If you like, pick up a flat of canning jars and a packet of labels to create your own organizing system for bulk-bin goods. Get It Done: How to Clean Out the Pantry |
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8. Deep clean the tub and treat yourself to something new. We may not be heading to the beach as often these days, but the time is just right for a relaxing soak. Give your tub a thorough cleaning and pick up something that will make your soak extra special, whether that is an essential oil you love, a beautiful brush or a luxuriously soft towel.
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| 9. Tidy the porch. After a season's worth of sandy feet tramping back and forth, your porch deserves a good cleaning. Sweep away sand, clean the front windows and door, check porch lights and add a few extras like hurricane lanterns or autumnal potted plants. |
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10. Stock up on cold and flu remedies. Make a list of everything from your favorite preventative measures to the medicines and other items your family relies on while sick, and pick up these items now. You will feel good knowing you have everything you need if and when someone in the house feels under the weather.
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| 11. Check lighting throughout your home. As the autumn sun dips lower in the sky, you may find you crave a little extra light in your rooms. A few small table lamps or even a strand of twinkle lights can make all the difference in creating a cozy ambience. |
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12. Refresh cleaning supplies. Take a few minutes to pull everything out from beneath the kitchen sink (yes, wads of plastic bags and all), sort it and put back only what you need. If this is where you reach when you need supplies for daily cleaning tasks, move everything not related to these tasks elsewhere. That means you, half-used crusty box of silver polish!
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by Emily McCall
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| 13. Swap out bedding. Bring cozy quilts and duvets out of storage so they will be within reach on that first chilly night. Check now if anything needs to be laundered and you'll have time to wash it before you really need it. |
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| 14. Savor your hard work! Sit back and enjoy a well-deserved rest. Brew a pot of tea, pour yourself a glass of wine, crack open a new novel or do whatever puts the icing on your cake. Tell us: How are you welcoming the fall season? |
Ideabook published on Sept. 9, 2012.
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Number two, a beautiful fall wreath for the front door.
October Carpet: http://www.printedart.com/content/october-carpet
November Red: http://www.printedart.com/content/november-red
Falling Slowly: http://www.printedart.com/content/falling-slowly
I know nothing about geckos! The ones I've seen crawling on the house (outside, yea!) are light green. They need to stay OUTSIDE!!!
I thought they ATE any bug they might find inside....but have to agree despite their cute little bug eyes..they should stay the heck outside! : ) A client of mine recently extolled the advantages of bats after his son found one flying around in the basement. ..... covering my ears, I said I don't want to know!!! but I can tell you it is the last time I set foot in your BASEMENT!!!
mmmmmm white Christmas indeed! The part they never show you on the card is the AFTERMATH..... of filthy dark grey road salt, clinging for months to banks you must climb over in your suede or leather boots, to get to wherever the heck it is you are trying to get to. Or the three "snow days" in a row, where a mommy may near suicide at not being able to get the car out of the garage. The fluffy white stuff, is fluffy white for about 24 hours max. Then it becomes slush, glop, mush, and mess. Your car becomes a chalky mess four hours after a drive through the car wash. Your booted feet sit in a puddle of mush of your own making, simply because you got out to pump gas. A tank top on Christmas? mmmmmmm I am thinking I could try that!
Have to say New York State beats California!!! But I think once born in the northeast..... ALWAYS in the northeast, despite the "flawed" five months of grey sky and slush. It makes summer and fall so great by comparison, we must look like crazed golden retrievers, dancing on the lawn on the first seventy degree and sunny day of May! So every time I am stuck in the slush... I do try to remind myself we have no earthquakes, tornados, brush fires, mud slides, floods, hurricanes, and very few "creeepy crawlies"! I try... but the grass is greener everywhere else... in the same way the snow is whiter, huh? Merry Christmas early!?
I do have to chuckle at people who are afraid of earthquakes, tho, I've been here 44 years and we've had only one "serious" earthquake. As opposed to buying a mobile home and moving to Kansas!!!
Chris Christie is the ABSOLUTE BEST!!!!!!! We are letting our political colors show... it will be ten minutes before the monitor kicks us off and deletes the comments!!!!! ahahahhahahahah YOU GO GIRL!!!!!
Jan, yes, I'm up by 2AM (o'dark early!) and dead by 8PM. Don't know why! And Fall readiness, yes, but those spice jars will still be there tomorrow.....
catch dinner!