You thought spring cleaning was over? Welcome to fall cleaning! According to Mrs. Dunwoody’s Excellent Instructions for Housekeeping by Miriam Lukken, here’s what the diligent housekeeper takes care of in the fall:

Clean and clear out cellar and attic.
Wash all blankets and sun the heavy quilts.Clean, mend, and put by furs, thick clothes, winter hats, and winter bedding.
Replace summer curtains with winter drapes.
Remove, clean, and store summer slipcovers.
Wax the furniture.
Clean lamps and shades.
Hang carpets for a good beating and then sun them for a day.
Sun and air mattresses and pillows.
Turn mattresses.

Cheryl Mendelson, in her housekeeping tome Home Comforts, adds these tasks:

Wash mirrors.
Clean the oven.
Wax floors.
Wash or wax woodwork.
Organize used drawers, cabinets, closets.
Dust blinds and shades, door tops, and other hard-to-reach areas where dust may collect.
Wash windows, storm windows, and screens.
Clean blades of ceiling fans.
Remove out-of-season clothing from closet, clean and store it, replace with seasonal clothing.
Clean and polish gems, jewelry, silver, brass, copper.
Have the piano tuned.
Vacuum books.
Move and clean underneath heavy appliances and furniture.

Mendelson writes, “Fall cleaning is an excellent way to usher in the holiday season with its extra entertaining. You can do a fall cleaning instead of or in addition to a spring cleaning. Or you can do an additional fall cleaning in some years and not in others. . . . Fall cleaning should be done . . . typically in September and, at least in the cooler climates, no later than mid-October.” She adds that, during a full seasonal cleaning, “you should plan on having no guests and doing only light cooking.”