6 tips to prepare your house for fall

Fall is just around the corner. Use our smart tips to prepare your house for the end of one season and the beginning of the next.

-- Create a gallery wall with four to eight simple black frames, where you can switch out the artwork depending on the season. Try using orange and red leaves in the fall.

-- With long warm days, late summer is the right time to spruce up the outside of your home. By updating external paint colors, fresh landscaping along pathways and porch accessories, you can increase the value and appeal of your home.

-- Walk through the house inspecting all doors, windows, hinges and locks. Replace any damaged hardware and don't hesitate to call a pro to help with updating locks.

-- Clean your shiny surfaces. To clean chrome, glass or stainless-steel appliances, fill a spray bottle with a mixture of 50 percent rubbing alcohol and 50 percent water.

-- Change air filters. It's a simple but important step to take -- every month, in fact; replace all air filters in your home for cleaner air and better circulation. Make a note on your calendar to remind yourself.

-- When vacuuming the car, use the duster-brush attachment to get in all the nooks and crannies of the dashboard, center console and door panels. If you don't have an attachment, use a paintbrush to dislodge the dust.

-- Instead of pitching a vinyl shower curtain that looks past its peak, give it a thorough cleaning instead. Throw the shower curtain in the washing machine with a few towels, a cup of white vinegar and your detergent, then air dry.

-- Take a good look at your garage door to determine whether you need to make any repairs before cool weather returns. Inspect the paint and exterior panels plus the automatic door wheels if you have them.

-- When it comes to dusting, let gravity help: Do the plants first, followed by tables and finish with the floor. Invest in an ostrich-down duster and dust in straight lines so dust falls directly onto the floor. Always vacuum last.

-- To revive droopy and dusty drapes, take them down, remove hooks and run them through an air-fluff cycle in the dryer along with a damp towel (to attract the dust) for 15 minutes. Re-hang immediately. Wipe blinds with a damp cloth.

(For thousands of other ideas visit www.hgtv.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)