5 Tips for Cleaning for Fall

Roof gutters are traces and chutes that route water off your roof. When you buy a home, the prospect of having to periodically climb up a ladder to maintain the gutters of your castle may not be at the forefront of your mind, but even though gutter maintenance may not be on your list of homeowner-friendly chores, it's a necessary part of home ownership. In fact, gutter cleaning is really important for the health of your home. Clogged gutters can cause water to pool on your roof, resulting in leaks and making a more attractive environment for some types of termites. Poor gutter maintenance can also lead to problems with siding, windows, doors and foundations from the prolonged effects of water draining on or near your walls.

Some new types of gutters have capped leaf-catching systems to keep leaves out, but even these gutter innovations aren't foolproof and need to be checked and periodically maintained. The best approach is to plan a day when you can get up close and personal with your gutters, read up on ladder safety, and dig out your heavy-duty work gloves.

Here's what you'll need:

The easiest way to manually clean your gutters is the day after a light rain. The slightly damp leaves and dirt will come up more easily. If you're lucky enough to have a low sloping roof, you may be able to use a leaf blower to do the lion's share of the work, but if that's your plan, wait for everything in the gutters to dry out completely first.

The heaviest concentration of leaves and gunk will accumulate at the drain outlets, so start cleaning there. Use a narrow trowel to scoop up muck and dispose of it in the garbage bag; a bulb trowel is a perfect choice. You can also do it the old-fashioned way with your gloved hands, but be careful of exposed screws and sharp metal gutter edges. You can tie the bag to your belt or attach it to the ladder. If you can't get all the silt accumulation out, use the brush to work it free. Now you're ready to reposition the ladder and work on the next section of gutter.

Once you have a length of gutter completed, use the hose to remove loose silt and anything else you missed. This will also give you a chance to check how quickly your downspout drains and whether or not the slope of your gutters needs adjustment. If there's an obstruction in your downspout, you can use a plumber's snake to work it out from the bottom up.

Now you can move on to the next length of gutter.

This process will be much easier if you have a helper who can spot you on the ladder and help feed you the hose when you need it.

Gutter cleaning can be dirty work, so make sure that you, and anyone working with you on the ground, is wearing eye protection and old clothing.

While you're thinking about good gutter maintenance, take a look at how water is draining from your roofline. If you see large drips along the joints where sections of segmented gutter are attached to one another, or there are rivulets running down the walls, your gutters may need repair. If water pools under the downspout, consider investing in a sloped splash box that will reroute water away from your home's foundation.

In the next section, we'll take a look at the heart of your home, the kitchen.

OK, so it isn't glamorous, but a good kitchen overhaul every once in a while helps keep germs and grease buildup under control. It also makes everything smell fresher and look brighter. Apart from regular maintenance, this is the time to wash the curtains, replace the shelf liners, remove and clean the ceiling fixtures and review all the bottles and cans that have taken up residence under the sink. This seems like a big job now, but once you've started to work, it will go fast.

This is also the time to give your major appliances some attention:

Moving on, let's take a look at the next spot we want to clean and rejuvenate: the car.

You may take regular trips through the car wash or spend a warm afternoon in the driveway cleaning your vehicle's exterior, but what about the inside of the car?

Summer fun can make lifelong memories, but it can also make a terrible mess. Before you spend winter locked in a car filled with beach sand, candy wrappers, suntan lotion and an extra pair of flip-flops, take an hour to clean and vacuum your car's interior. It's a great time to stock your ride with some things you might need in the next few months, like an ice scraper, umbrella, blanket and warm gloves.

There are lots of specialty products designed for cleaning the interior of your automobile, including upholstery and dashboard cleaners. If you want an inexpensive solution, you can use a little laundry soap on a cloth to do most car interior cleaning jobs. Be sure to use a vacuum with good suction, and don't be afraid to try some of the special attachments. For detail work, use a clean, 1-inch paintbrush or even an artist's brush to get rid of crumbs and dust that gets into those tight places.

Don't forget to tackle the trunk, too. Carrying extra weight in your vehicle wastes gasoline, so this is the time to pull out that accumulated clutter and replace it with a lightweight emergency road kit.

Keeping your glove compartment organized is a good policy any time of year. Having ready access to your current car registration and proof of insurance will save you from fumbling through old receipts and plastic fast-food forks if you get pulled over, and this is a great time to make sure that all your paperwork is current. After all, getting organized is one of the nice things about cleaning day.

For the next chore, we won't be going far. Just step out of the car into the garage.

It's pretty common to cringe when you consider cleaning the garage. For lots of folks, the condition of the garage is a guilty secret. If space in its dark expanse is getting so tight that the car won't even fit inside anymore, it's time to get that clutter under control.

This can be a big job if you haven't done it in a while, so start with some preliminary recon. Take an inventory of what your garage contains and how you'd like to organize the space. Make a list of things you're planning to pitch. Move from there to stuff you want to give away, like old toys or that exercise equipment that you never use. Your third list should include items that you plan on keeping, but start to see them in relation to the space. Begin at the car entry door and work back. Keep the most useful items, like tools, in front. Anything you won't use for six months or more can be positioned toward the back. Make some notes on the list to remind you of where put what.

If you know that you still have lots more stuff than your garage can comfortably accommodate, try considering a few creative storage alternatives, like wall shelves or overhead bins. Storage doesn't have to be expensive, and getting things up off the ground will liberate a surprising amount of space. Camping gear, sports equipment, pool toys and some larger tools can be affixed to the wall or placed on a high shelf to make getting around easier and less hazardous.

Once you have a plan, pull everything out of the garage into your three piles, sweep or go over the floor with a wet-dry vacuum, and install any shelving or bins. Now, you're ready to start putting away the things you plan on keeping.

This chore alone could easily take a weekend, but after that, maintaining a clear and useful garage space will be easy.

In fall and winter, we use our homes more and close them up tight to shut out the cold. While we're protecting ourselves inside, we're trapping dust, dander and mold that can make us sick. Before you batten down the hatches for winter weather, make sure that you get your home as clean as you can:

Your warm, cozy house may look inviting to more than just your family and friends this winter. If you have or develop problems with fleas, bedbugs, mice, cockroaches or other vermin or pests, call a professional or deal with them sooner rather than later. Your family and pets will thank you.