Summer's here, hot, high and sweaty. Vacations beckon. The garden takes on a life of its own.

Busy families don't have much time for home chores these months. School's out, travel's in and it's easy to let life slide on the home front.

Still, summer will run more smoothly if you keep tabs on these important areas in the Summer Cleaning Chore Checklist.

Our checklist list tackles hot-weather issues, summer health and safety:

It's Spring!

Warming breezes scour the last of winter from house and garden. Spring rain awakens the earth and calls forth new life.

Meet the rising sap with a new broom. Spring clean indoors and out to prepare home and hearth for the return of warm weather.

Our Spring cleaning chore checklist will help you take care of important seasonal chores and welcome Spring to an organized home:

Spring cleaning is on the horizon, and you could use some help. How do you get the kids to pitch in when it's time to spring-clean the house?

Try these five tips to involve children with housecleaning chores:

• Think teamwork. It's downright lonely to be sentenced to clean a bathroom on your own, but paired with a parent, even a 5-year-old can work safely and happily. While Dad wields the bowl cleaner and the tile brush, his helper can scrub the sink, polish the fixtures, empty the trash and trundle towels and rugs to the laundry room.
  
  
  
  

Spring cleaning can seem overwhelming, especially if home maintenance has been allowed to slide throughout the year. Doing chores as a routine is easier, but how do you remember what needs doing--and when?

To keep the household running smoothly year-round, establish a home maintenance schedule. If you're an Excel user (version 97 or later), download this free home maintenance schedule template. From Microsoft.com:

Home Maintenance Schedule

While you're there, check out this dandy printable housecleaning checklist. Pretty and practical, it'll make chores fly:

Housecleaning Checklist (for Excel 2000 or later)

When wintry weather blows, will your family be prepared?

Take time now to review your family's emergency preparedness with our Winter Preparedness Checklist. It'll help you prepare your home and automobile for cold-weather hazards.

Out and About:

Will your home welcome winter visitors safely? Be prepared for snow, ice or rain on walks and driveways with:

Autumn is here! The season of flying leaves signals the coming of winter; time for a fall home maintenance checklist!

This is the time of year to check heating systems, weatherstripping and the condition of walls, windows and roof. A simple inspection now can save a world of cold-weather trouble in the months ahead.

To prepare your home for cold weather, try these fall home maintenance tips from State Farm. They'll see you snug and warm in the season ahead:

Fall Home Maintenance Tips

Keeping a clean house ... and you're wondering. What's the best cleaning schedule to make short work of housecleaning?

Should you clean the whole house in a single day, or schedule cleaning chores each day? What about seasonal cleaning? When should you wash the windows?

Real Simple's got answers, with their Periodic Table of Cleaning. Based on Jeff Campbell's Speed Cleaning principles, and cleverly laid out as a model of the periodic table, this definitive cleaning schedule will answer your questions of when and how often to clean house.

In .pdf format, you'll need Adobe Reader to view and print:

Period Table of Cleaning

It's Autumn.

Pumpkins glow in golden fields. Shorter days, crisp mornings signal winter's approach.

Can the holidays be far behind?

Use Autumn's brisk and breezy days to conquer deep-cleaning chores for a clean and comfortable winter home, and wrap up summer's outdoor areas for the coming of cold weather.

Our Fall Cleaning Chore Checklist will help you prepare home and hearth for the coming of winter: