There’s something about September that feels like a fresh start.
Not quite the dramatic new year, new me energy of January. More a quiet sense that after weeks of holidays, days out, children being permanently hungry and routines going completely out of the window, it might be nice to get things vaguely back in order.
The house included.
I’m not talking about an enormous autumn deep clean. Personally, the minute a cleaning list gets too long, I lose interest in the whole thing.
This is more about taking advantage of that back-to-school, back-to-routine feeling and sorting a few of the things that have become slightly chaotic over summer.
First: deal with the summer aftermath
Summer has a habit of spreading itself around the house.
There are shoes by every door, half-used bottles of sun cream, picnic things that never quite made it back into the cupboard and an impressive amount of washing considering everyone seemed to spend most of August wearing shorts.
September is a good time to put a few things back where they belong. Not everything.Just enough that the house starts to feel a little less like everyone arrived home from a holiday yesterday.
Take advantage of any decent weather while it lasts
September can still give us some gorgeous drying days, and they're worth making the most of.
If duvets, mattress protectors, throws or washable cushion covers need doing, now is a much better time than discovering they need washing in November when it's raining sideways and every radiator already has something hanging from it.
The same goes for school uniform stains and the remnants of summer adventures.
A soak with oxygen bleach can be really useful for stained whites and colourfast fabrics before washing as normal.
And if the weather forecast says 22 degrees and sunshine? Get the washing out if you can. The sun helps bleach out stains too.
Get the everyday cleaning stuff back under control
One thing I really like about September is the return of boring little routines - in a nice comforting way.
When everyday life is busy, having a few things that just work makes an enormous difference.
A surface cleaner you can grab after dinner. Washing-up liquid beside the sink. Laundry powder ready when someone announces at 8pm that they need a particular PE top tomorrow morning.
This is also a good opportunity to look at the collection of cleaning products under the sink.
You probably don't need twelve different bottles.
Use up what you have, refill the things you use all the time and think twice before replacing the products that have been sitting untouched at the back for months.
A simpler cleaning cupboard is easier to use, easier to keep stocked and usually creates less waste too.
Give the hard-working bits of the house some attention
You don't have to clean the entire house for it to feel cleaner.
Pick the places that have worked particularly hard over summer.
For me, the kitchen would be fairly high on that list.
Wipe down the cupboard fronts. Give the hob and sink some attention. Move the things that have mysteriously accumulated on the worktop. Give the dishwasher a clean if it's been working overtime.
Then perhaps tackle the bathroom another day.
Soap residue and everyday grime can be dealt with using a bathroom cleaner, while citric acid is brilliant for those areas where limescale has gradually started appearing.
Ten or fifteen minutes in one room is considerably more appealing than declaring Saturday an official Cleaning Day.
Refill before you run out
There is a particular kind of annoyance that comes from discovering you've run out of something halfway through using it.
September is a good point to check the everyday essentials: laundry powder, washing-up liquid, hand soap, dishwasher powder and the cleaning products you reach for regularly.
If you refill, topping up what you already have means you don't need another bottle every time something runs out.
It's a very small system, but those are often the changes that actually stick.
Make one thing easier for autumn
Rather than trying to completely reorganise your home, choose one thing that regularly irritates you and make it easier.
Keep stain-removing supplies near the washing machine.
Put the products you actually use at the front of the cleaning cupboard.
Set up your refills somewhere convenient.
Clear one kitchen cupboard that drives you mad.
Wash the blanket that's going to be permanently attached to you once the evenings get colder.
It doesn't need to be revolutionary.
In fact, it's probably better if it isn't.
September doesn't need to be a fresh start
Maybe that's actually the nicest thing about it.
You don't need a new routine, a perfectly organised house or an elaborate autumn cleaning schedule.
You can just take advantage of the change in season to make a few things work a little better.
Use up what you already have. Refill the things you love. Deal with the jobs that have been annoying you.
And perhaps wash the duvet while there's still a fighting chance of getting it dry outside.
That feels like a perfectly good September reset to me.
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