Tips, Tidbits & Tricks: Fall Cleaning

- Replace the furnace filter. You should really do it about every three months, but in case you haven’t done that, make sure to do it now!

- Change the battery in your smoke detector. Or even better, you can replace your old unit with one with a 10-year battery.


- Find a chimney sweep. And hire him. Creosote (see next entry) can build up and is a fire hazard…I realize that the whole point of a fire place is to have a fire, but you don’t want it in the chimney. 25% of all residential fires in the US are caused by failure to clean out creosote buildup.

Image: http://johngushue.typepad.com

- Creosote: n. black oily accretion that builds up inside of chimney flues.

- Check for drafts. Feel a cool breeze and you don't have any windows open? Repair or replace weather stripping and caulking around your doors and windows to keep out those chilly drafts.

- Clean the gutters. No, it is not a fun job, but it is a necessary one.

- Remove hoses from spigots. The genesis of this blog was one such mistake. Read more.

- Clean baseboards, refrigerator shelves, bathroom drawers, everything! You are about to be holed up in the house for the next few months, and you want it to be clean.

So there you go! Get cleaning…and leave a comment about some of your favorite fall cleaning ideas. If there is such a thing a favorite fall cleaning idea.