Top 6 tips for keeping your home clean this winter

Cleaning tips  •  Fri 10 Jan 2020

You've heard of spring cleaning, but what about winter home cleaning for the cold months when you’ll be spending most of your time indoors?

Winter cleaning is a great way to prep the house before you cosy up and hibernate for the season, and a thorough clean at the beginning of the season makes it easier to keep up with throughout the rest of winter. It’s also important to hit the spots that may have otherwise been missed.

Here are six tips on how to keep your home clean this winter.

1. Keep the dirt outside

Most dirt comes from outside so it only makes sense to control it before it finds its way indoors. Investing in a sturdy doormat is essential to trap mud or avoid wet footprints from the rain.

Alternatively, some people like to encourage their family and guests to take their shoes off before entering the house altogether. Depending on the structure of your house, your garage may be located right next to your front door, which you can then double as a “mud room.” A mudroom is exactly as it sounds – a space to keep the mess so it doesn’t end up in the house.

Additionally, be sure to provide a slipper basket at your front door filled with new, clean indoor slippers for your guests to wear around the house. This hospitality ensures that your guests are comfortable and that your home is welcoming.

If there’s no space for a designated mud room, then placing a shoe rack outside the front door will do just fine, as long as it’s undercover.

If you’re a pet owner, consider placing a towel at your pet’s entrance between the house and the backyard, to stop their muddy paws from making an adorable, yet frustrating, the trail around the house.

Limiting the amount of dirt that gets into the house in the first places makes winter cleaning a whole lot easier.

2. Do some serious dusting

You may notice that dust accumulates in the colder months. That’s because the air tends to be dryer the more we turn the heating up. Winter is the notorious season of cough and sneeze so it’s important to get rid of as much dust as you can, especially considering you’ll be stuck indoors amongst it. Be sure to dust the bookshelves, bench tops, and the underneath of furniture.

However don’t neglect spots such as the tops of doors, mirrors, artwork and the lighting fixtures. Wiping away any built up dust on the lighting fixtures ensures the light bulbs are as bright as they can be, and it’s necessary to savour light in the darker, colder months.

Winter dusting also gives you a chance to clean the bathroom exhaust vent fan, which is likely to have accumulated dust since the last time it was cleaned.

The most efficient way to clean the fan is by removing its cover and vacuuming up the dust.

Lastly, while you’re at it, it’s important to dust off the heater to avoid the spread of dust around the house! Turn off the heater, pull the plug from the outlet, and let it cool down completely. Note that this step is an essential OH & S precaution. Use a feather duster or a microfiber duster to clean the vents, and a compressed air duster and vacuum once the cover has been removed.

3. Upholstery Cleaning

It’s estimated that up to 80% of the dust in your home resides in the upholstered furniture. So winter cleaning gives you a great opportunity to remove dust, pollen and germs from your upholstery, especially considering you’re likely to be sitting on the couches much more in the winter! Most people choose to get their upholstery professionally cleaned to help prolong the life of key furniture pieces such as the couch.

 However, there are some basic ways to DIY your upholstery furniture cleaning. First, you’ll want to vacuum the furniture thoroughly. Next, DIY your own stain remover by mixing warm water with either liquid dishwashing detergent to create a “shampoo,” or baking soda to create a paste texture. Test a patch of furniture (preferably hidden) before you apply the solution all over, to ensure the solution suits the cleaning job. Use a dabbing and blotting method, and rinse and repeat as necessary, especially on tough stains. Leave the upholstery to dry completely.

4. Give the windows a good scrub

Similar to the necessity of dusting off the light bulbs, cleaning the windows majorly impacts how well-lit your house is in the darker months. Although it may seem trivial, it’s beneficial to savour as much natural light in the winter, and this includes scrubbing both the inside and outside of the windows thoroughly. However, it’s understandable that some windows are difficult to reach, especially in double story houses. In that case, it’s necessary to turn to the professional window cleaners for help, who are fully trained to reach the spots you may miss.

5. Clean the Cleaning Supplies

Sure, we know to regularly clean the house, but are we ever reminded to clean our cleaning supplies? Cleaning the cleaning supplies ensures that you get the most use out of them, so here a few simple tips to do so: Disinfect the mop. Vacuum the broom. Replace the vacuum bag. Disinfect or replace the sponges. And throw the cleaning rags in the washing machine (in a separate wash to your clothes, of course).

This also ensures that each cleaning job will be as thorough and effective as possible. After all, what’s the point of cleaning the floor with a mop full of germs?

It’s also helpful to disinfect the bins because once again, you’ll be stuck indoors amongst them anyway. Even if you line with bins with plastic bags, chances are that germs still accumulate in them. The most effective method to clean the bins is to use a hose, add disinfectant and scrub them with a bristle cleaning brush.

6. Always have Cleaning Products readily available

In addition to that, it’s a no-brainer to have cleaning products readily available in case of an emergency. Although you’ll take precautions to keep the dirt outside, winter mess can sometimes be unpredictable. Whether you come across a muddy stain or accidentally drop your hot chocolate on the living room carpet, some cleaning jobs should be done immediately, which is especially relevant for any unexpected stains. So in addition to cleaning the cleaning supplies, be sure to update them as necessary.

To assist you with your winter cleaning needs, Home Service Professionals offers house, window and carpet cleaning to areas in Adelaide, Gosford, and surrounding suburbs. Enquire now for your free quote.