The 3 fall cleaning jobs you're probably forgetting about (and what to do today)

SALT LAKE CITY — It's not just "spring cleaning." Somewhere along the way, "fall cleaning" became a thing, too. Professional cleaner Briana Lybbert shared three seasonal jobs most people forget about.

"I love it better than spring cleaning," she said. "We're about to live so hard in our house."

The Germ Reset

Fall is the start of cold, flu and stomach bug season. That's why Lybbert starts with a germ reset.

"Everyone's gonna get sick," she said. "There's the lunchroom germs at school. It's like everyone's bringing home every germ known to mankind."

She emphasized that sanitizing and disinfecting are two different things. Your typical multi-surface sprays help reduce germs, but they aren't always enough when illness is going through the family.

"Bleach is actually really, really safe to use," Lybbert said.

The right dilution is key. She recommended: 1 gallon warm water + 1/3 cup bleach.

 "Not hot. Hot will kill your bleach," she explained. "That's like, as high concentration as you want."

She said this concentration will even kill the norovirus. Focus on cleaning high-touch areas like baseboards, trim, walls, door handles and light switches.

The Air Cleanse

The second task on Lybbert's fall cleaning checklist makes a huge difference, and you probably don't think about it very often.

"Air cleanse is a weird thing," she said, "but you're about to shut into your house."

You close the windows, turn on the furnace for the first time and that household air starts to recirculate. Dust, allergens and debris get moving through the home again.

"We're looking at ceiling fans, air vents, vents on the floor, your HVAC system," Lybbert explained.

She said the biggest thing you can do is clean out your filter system. She also suggested dusting your ceiling fans and wiping down vents before your heating system starts to work overtime.

"I just like to feel like we're not circulating old dust and germs back as everything starts to blow again," Lybbert said.

The Clutter Reset

Don't wait until guests are coming over for the holidays before starting an organizing project. Lybbert said that's a recipe for stress.

"If I can have a few things ready to go and declutter one thing," she said. "Don't swallow the whale whole. If you have one monster project you're looking at, maybe don't do that one first."

Choose a smaller project you can finish quickly to create momentum. Tackle the junk drawer, an entry closet or a single shelf in the pantry. Every small win helps prepare your home for the busy months ahead.

"Get the ball rolling somewhere else smaller and then find that momentum before you take on a bigger project," Lybbert said.

Find more cleaning advice from Briana Lybbert on Instagram, @thismessielife.

This story originally aired on KSL TV and has been reformatted for a digital audience using artificial intelligence.