Yes, the long, hot, humid summer has come to an end. Fall is arriving quicker than you can read this article. The trees are starting to turn their beautiful colors, the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler. All this leads me to want to get my home and garden ready for the big chill. So, I have compiled some suggestions to take care of both.

Let’s tackle our homes first. Here’s a list of some housecleaning tips to get the house ready for the cold weather.

• Make a list of all you have to do and have all your cleaning supplies (all-purpose cleaner, window cleaner, bleach or ammonia, detergent, furniture polish,, cloths , paper towels, bucket and mop, vacuum cleaner...
• Work from top to bottom, left to right; then you always know what you have already cleaned.
• Clean one room at a time.
• Use your vacuum attachments to wipe down cobwebs from ceiling and around window and doorsills. If you don’t have a vacuum; tie a soft rag around the bottom of a broom and use that to wipe down the ceiling and walls.
• Wash down walls and ceiling. Amonia in warm water is a good one.
• Clean ceiling fan blades with soft cloth and reverse direction so warm air blows back down in colder weather.
• Wash windows, storm windows, screens, mirrors, pictures with glass.
• Clean ceiling light fixtures.
• Clean or vacuum lamp shades.
• Wipe down window trim, door trim and crown moldings. My favorite for this is Murphy’s Oil Soap; it leaves a nice shine. This can be used for the wooden and tile floors too.
  Wash blinds or shades. Vacuum window treatments or have them dry cleaned and pressed.
• Wash all bedding, including pillows. If feather pillows; put them in dryer on cool, gentle cycle with fabric softener sheets and this will plump them up and give them fresh smell.
  Turn the mattresses and vacuum each side before turning.
• Vacuum or shampoo carpeting, rugs and upholstered pieces.
• Put throw rugs (if washable) in washer while you are doing the floors.
• Clean or dust decorative accessories. Polish or wipe down with a solution of Murphy’s Oil Soap and water all cabinet doors.
• Dust and polish furniture with soft cloth and furniture polish.
• Clean out the cabinets and closets and drawers.
• Wipe down all wooden doors with Murphy’s solution.
• Dust or clean china, holiday tableware.
• Remove table coverings and dresser scarfs and wash and press.
• Move and clean underneath heavy appliances.
• Clean and organize basement and garage.
• If you have window air conditioners, remove and clean filters and clean exterior before storing.

Now that you have your house spic and span on the inside, let’s do some cleaning in our gardens:

• Bring all houseplants inside for the winter. Do this gradually, a few hours at a time. If you have an enclosed patio, this is ideal to bring them into first before you bring them into the house. Make sure you check the bottoms of the pots to brush off any outdoor insects that may be hanging on.
• Dig up your tender bulbs, like Dahlias, tuberous begonias, calla lilies. Store them in a cool, dark, airy place in paper bags.
• Divide and transplant perennials before the ground freezes. If you don’t have any more room in your own garden, pass some of these transplants on to your neighbors.
• Remove annual plants and perennial foliage and stalks as they die back, leave about an inch on the stalks.
• If the foliage and stalks are disease free, add this to your compost pile.
• Compost the leaves that you rake up. Some of the leaves can be raked around your rose bushes and perennials to help them through the cold. In spring you can rake this out of your flower beds and add to the compost.
• Mow the grass with a mulching mower one last time.
• Empty clay pots that had annuals growing in them and store in garage.
• Install chickenwire guards around young trees and bushes to protect from rabbits and rodents.
• When frost is forecast, pick green tomatoes and store for ripening in brown paper bags.
• Scrub bird feeders to rid them of moldy bacteria laden seeds.
• Make sure garden tools are cleaned and oiled. Take a large plastic bucket, fill with sand, add vegetable or baby oil to the sand and stick your small, hand held garden tools into the sand to keep till spring. They will not rust and will maintain their edge for the spring.
• Prune branches after they have gone dormant, except forsythia and lilac. Dead or broken branches can be pruned anytime.
• Store outdoor furniture away from weather.
• Clean shallow pools and store pumps. Bring fish and tender water plants inside. You may invest in a water heater for the pool, in that case you can leave fish in pool all winter. They will hibernate.
• Add mulch after ground has frozen.
• Fertilize grass one last time before winter. Use a good winter fertilizer that also will take
  care of spring weeds.
• Order or purchase spring flowering bulbs now. A helpful hint to keep squirrels from digging up and eating tulip bulbs: coat the bulbs with garlic powder before planting and plant one Daffodil bulb close to the tulip bulbs. Squirrels do not like Daffodil bulbs.
• Plant trees, shrubs and ground covers.
• Plant a small grain cover crop on your empty vegetable garden space.
• Potatoes are ready for harvest when their tops begin to turn brown.
• If the birds have left you any grapes, test for ripeness by tasting.
• Harvest your fresh parsley, celery, chives. Rinse and chop up into small pieces and store in baggies in your freezer for when needed for cooking.
• Now, I hope some of these suggestions will help to batten down the hatches around the house; inside and out, for the winter.