This is the perfect time to start preparing your home for the holiday season. Cleaning projects that you never considered doing during the heat of summer, can be tackled with gusto now that the weather is cooler and the kids are back to school. There are many special housecleaning projects you can do now that will last through the holidays, saving you time for all the shopping, gift-wrapping, entertaining, and party-going that are bound to come along.

Take it room by room and start from the top down. First check for cobwebs around the corners and behind window treatments. The round cobweb brush on an extension handle is a wonderful invention for this task."? Next, dust the ceiling fans. Swiffer pads attached to the Swiffer adjustable extension handle work great for this. Washing light fixtures helps bring back the sparkle to any room. Check the heating and cooling vents to see if they need vacuuming. Wipe off the electrical outlet and switch covers, and check for fingerprints around the doorknobs. Dust the blinds and shutters. Wash the front door, inside and out, and clean the doorsill. Clean inside the refrigerator. Clean the kitchen and bathroom cabinet fronts and check the china hutch. It's probably time to remove its contents and clean the display shelves and glass doors. Polish the silver so it will be ready for holiday entertaining. Vacuum the upholstery, including under the cushions. Clean the sliding door tracks. Dust all the baseboards. Once you have done all that, a quick basic cleaning each week will be sufficient to keep you ready for guests to drop in any time.