Want your home to be clean, organized and guest-ready? Follow these simple cleaning tips.

• Focus Efforts: Prioritize duties by creating a cleaning to-do list. Include the rooms you want to tackle, along with the garage and closets. Clean with specific goals in mind to help you stay motivated.
• Recruit Help: Get the family involved and assign age-appropriate jobs. You can also offer incentives to children.

• Refresh Mattresses: Strip bedding and sprinkle all your home’s mattresses lightly with baking soda. Next, vacuum the bare mattress and box springs. Wash and refold guest linens.
• Spot-Clean: Look for mold, mildew and recent stains on your mattress. Follow the manufacturer’s spot-cleaning instructions.
• Examine Bedding: Replace worn and stained mattress pads and bedding.
• Renew Bedspreads: Remember to take care of bedspreads, too. Wash and dry or follow your bedspread’s cleaning directions.
• Freshen Up: Open windows briefly to give beds a breath of fresh air. Wipe all surfaces with a damp cloth to remove fall pollen and other allergens.

• Manage Clutter: Stash attractive baskets around the house to help you manage daily clutter. Store out-of-season gear in a closet or attic.
• Clean Closets: Clean and store summer clothing in vacuum-pack storage bags — they’ll save space and help keep clothes pest-free. Donate clothes you haven’t worn in more than a year.
• Organize Crafts: Prepare for seasonal crafting and gift-giving by organizing your craft space. Purchase containers with lids and small drawers to keep track of bits and pieces.

• Vacuum Often: Carpeted areas that experience heavy foot traffic can become dirty with leaf debris, salt and dried mud. Vacuum these areas often to help avoid carpet damage.
• Shampoo Carpets: If you’re planning a gathering, be sure to shampoo carpets at least four days earlier. They will need a chance to dry. Consider renting a professional-quality steamer.
• Clean Surfaces: Windy fall weather makes dust settle on surfaces. Start fresh — dust furniture, windowsills, lighting and decorative items. Overwhelmed? Tackle one room per day over several days.

• Block Moisture: Check window and door weather stripping to prevent messy leaks. Patch where necessary.
• Maintain Gear: Spend an afternoon wiping down electronics and small appliances — this can help make them last longer. Remember to unplug electronics and appliances before you dust them.

• Capture Cobwebs: Use a broom and remove spiderwebs lurking around ceilings, overhead fans and baseboards.
• Declutter Bookshelves: Dust book edges with a soft brush. Invest in a dehumidifier to remove excess water from the air — humidity causes books to warp and mildew. Place same-size books next to each other snugly, but don’t stuff them. Winter is a great time to donate books you’ve already read.
• Scour Bathrooms: It’s time to hit those hard-to-reach places. Clean behind toilets, around sink fixtures and on bathroom windowsills. Recycle empty shampoo and conditioner bottles.

• Start Fresh: Empty shelves completely. This will make it easier to sort out old food items. Check “best used by” and expiration dates. Ditch damaged, discolored and outdated items. Create a restocking list.
• Wipe Down: Clean empty shelves with mild soap and water. Line with fresh contact paper for easy cleanup.
• Use Containers: Store staples like flour, meal and sugar in clearly marked, spill-proof containers with tight lids — it’ll help retain flavor and keep food pest-free. Square and rectangular containers take up less space than round ones.
• Stack Smart: When restocking shelves, don’t forget to place soon-to-expire foods in the front row. Get in the habit of rotating older cans to the front when shelving new groceries.