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18 Small, Practical Ways to Get Your Home Ready for Fall

Shifrah Combiths
Shifrah Combiths
With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town life in Tallahassee, Florida, which she now calls home. She's been writing professionally for twenty years and she loves lifestyle photography, memory keeping, gardening, reading, and going to the beach with her husband and children.
published Sep 20, 2019
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Credit: Lauren Kolyn

Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson.

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Even if your daily temps are still in the 90s like mine are here in Florida, fall is in fact just around the corner. Monday, Sept. 23 is the official start of the fall season, and whether you’re hanging on to summer or have already started sipping PSLs, the season of cider, fire-toned leaves, and sweaters is coming.

This weekend, we’re going to get in gear to welcome it.

Credit: Joe Lingeman

This Weekend: Do one thing to get ready for fall.

Staying in tune with the change in seasons helps in some small way to feel in sync with the Bigger Picture. Purposely doing something that’s either ritualistic and fun or sheerly practical is a great way to have a mini new start before the last quarter of the year.

Pick at least one of these (or think of your own!) to get ready for fall:

  1. Clean the fireplace
  2. Pick up a pumpkin or decorative gourd
  3. Replace your hand soap or cleaning products with seasonally scented ones
  4. Bring the blankets out of storage; wash your throws and make them accessible in a well-placed basket or slung over the couch
  5. Dust your ceiling fans (soon, you’ll be switching which direction they turn and you don’t want dust flying everywhere)
  6. Change your furnace filter, or order a new one
  7. Check your fire and carbon monoxide alarm batteries
  8. Dig out your fall decor and set it up
  9. Hang a fall wreath on your door
  10. Switch your candles to warm, autumnal scents
  11. Put your summer clothes in storage
  12. Shave the pills off your sweater with a razor or fabric shaver
  13. Clean and polish your boots
  14. Make a fall bucket list
  15. Stock up on apple cider (or make mulled cider in a slow cooker)
  16. Set up savings funds for Black Friday and the holidays
  17. Make reservations for a cozy weekend away
  18. Organize the pantry before fall baking season and Thanksgiving

If you have any other ideas or traditions to welcome the season, let’s hear them!

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You can catch up with weekend projects right here. Share your progress with us and others by posting updates and photos on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #atweekendproject.

Remember: This is about improvement, not perfection. Each week you can either choose to work on the assignment we’ve sent you, or tackle another project you’ve been meaning to get to. It’s also completely okay to skip a weekend if you’re busy or not feeling the assignment.

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