How I Completely Deep Clean Our Home Each Season

This deep clean post is sponsored by Orkin Pest Control

Okay summer lovers, don’t hate me for saying this, but the seasons are on the horizon of changing and honestly, I’m all for it. I don’t know if it’s this pandemic, or just the fact that life has been crazy lately, but I am ready for fall and a good ole’ fashioned deep clean. I told Aaron the other day I’d like to just fast forward to Christmas because this year has been exhausting and he just looked at me like I was crazy. #ilovetheholidays

One thing I do at least twice a year (between every season) is make sure our home is organized, deep cleaned and free of pests. I literally deep clean out every drawer, nook, cranny, closet, etc. and not only organize, but also get rid of what we don’t need, want or use anymore (this is also the time I’ll decorate if putting seasonal decor out). After all the “cleaning out” is done, I like to give the house a thorough deep clean (baseboards, wipe down walls, etc.) and then we like to follow up with an Orkin Pest Control Service . There is NOTHING worse than doing all that cleaning to find little pests creeping around, and since we have pets and a toddler, I’d prefer to keep them outside where they belong (or not see them at all, duh). I choose to use Orkin Pest Control because of their professional demeanor, reputation and the fact that all of their treatment plans are approved and regulated by the EPA… look, I hate critters, but I also want to be humane in how we deal with them.

So, knowing all of the above, I wanted to break down how I get all of this done each season (note: Orkin recommends getting your home treated for pests quarterly or every other month to ensure that your home remains pest-free).

How to Deep Clean Your Home

1. First and foremost, give yourself grace. This does not have to be done in a day, in fact, I like to allot a month for this deep clean/transition. I start by making a list of EVERY single nook/cranny and “junk thrower” in our home by room. Did you know pests love creeping in old cardboard boxes and papers? Get rid of old papers if you don’t need them, and if you do, store them correctly in airtight containers!
2. Once your list is done for organization, get on it! It’s as easy as that, start small with a desk drawer for example, get the dang thing organized and move on. It feels so good, I promise.
3. Stop scrolling, start organizing. I tend to be slightly OCD and have found that I like to do one complete room, but it’s nearly impossible with time sometimes, so instead, if I have 30 minutes free for example, I’ll look at my list and say, “what can I do for the next 30 minutes that’s productive?” I bebop around the house a lot, but eventually it all gets done. If I know I’m going to have an hour, I’ll pick something bigger like a bathroom vanity, etc.
4. Once you start checking off those smaller items, the momentum will come. I find myself allotting time to my “clean out” project. I’ll schedule two hours for the pantry for example knowing I need to clean it because that’s one of the places little critters love hanging out according to Orkin Pest Control. If my storage solutions are out of date, I’ll buy better sealed food storage or organizers for any space to really make sure I’m doing to job right (just like Orkin does).
5. Once I’ve completed my list, I move on to the deep cleaning part. I wipe down everything while I’m cleaning (i.e. the pantry shelves/containers, under bathroom vanities, fridge shelves), so it’s more window sills, baseboards, etc. at this step. It’s also a good time to inspect seals, window casings and screens to bring up at your Orkin appointment as well.
6. Then voila, you’re done and ready to schedule your Pest Control service with Orkin for peace of mind, and you get to enjoy much needed time with your family knowing your home is safe from pests, clean and organized.

Of course, I try my best to keep it that way, but of course, it always gets messy again (#life), so I’m ready to tackle it the next season. Even years when I only have time to do it twice, I feel so.much.better about getting rid of the junk/clutter.

We actually just had our Orkin Pest Control done for this coming fall/winter (kind of flip flopped this year on task list), and our Technician was extremely pleasant, professional and wore a mask. I think a lot of people make the mistake to call when they notice pests, but I like to prevent them before they come! Haha A typical pest inspection includes a thorough inspection of your home, a customized treatment plan, preventative measures (spraying) and inspection of the areas of the house where pests are most likely to infiltrate. Then, they’ll point out any concerns (for example, he told us our garden boxes need to be moved away from the house, not next to) and give you a detailed plan for how to proceed. It’s a pretty quick process and I personally love the tips and advice they give you because I’m personally not a pest control expert, so I have no idea! Knowing there are no pests around our house makes it a lot easier to enjoy moments with our family like soaking in the last summer days with Penelope (or more importantly, decorating for fall with Penelope–coming soon!).

So get to making your list of clean out spots, friends. I promise you’ll be happy if you do. And, get your Orkin Pest Control visit scheduled and get $50 off your initial pest control treatment purchased on Orkin.com with promo code 50OFF.

I’m going to go make my list (more on stories and I’ll show you my process), but first coffee in my new fave Orkin mug.

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How and when do you deep clean your home? Let me know in a comment below!

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