As the winter chill settles upon us, keeping your home clean and healthy becomes even more essential. With the shorter days and cooler temperatures, homes transform into cozy sanctuaries, making it the perfect time to focus on creating a healthier and cleaner living space.
At Yost Cleaning, we would like to share invaluable tips for tackling your winter house cleaning tasks, ensuring your home remains a welcoming and hygienic retreat throughout the season.
As temperatures drop and weather becomes more harsh, most Coloradans spend more time indoors (when they’re not skiing, of course). Because of this common tendency to linger where it’s cozy rather than face the elements, the cleanliness of your living environment becomes all the more pertinent. Instead of just giving your counters an extra scrub or your shelves an extra dusting, you should instead be considering your home on a holistic level so that everything from indoor air quality to pest control can be managed to the best possible standards.
While ‘spring cleaning’ is perhaps the most well-known seasonal cleaning, winter cleaning is no less important. Take a look at our tips to see if you’re letting any necessary cleaning fall through the cracks.
During the winter months, it's common to keep your windows and doors closed up to keep the cold out. That means it's also important to ensure your indoor air quality is as clean as possible. Maintaining your HVAC system is key to achieving this. Before the cold season kicks in, replace filters to prevent dust, allergens, and other particles from circulating throughout your home. Consider a professional inspection to ensure that your HVAC system is operating efficiently and that there are no leaks in the ductwork where heat can escape and contaminants can enter. Keeping vents clear of obstruction from furniture, curtains, or rugs will also allow for proper airflow and more even heat distribution, reducing the burden on your system
Shoe mats play a crucial role in maintaining the cleanliness of our homes by acting as the first line of defense against dirt and dust. Strategically placed at entry points, they encourage family members and guests alike to wipe their footwear before stepping inside, effectively trapping a significant amount of debris that would otherwise be tracked throughout the house. By doing so, shoe mats help to reduce the amount of time and effort spent on sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping, thus keeping floors and carpets tidier.
Cleaning out the pantry should be an integral part of your winter cleaning schedule for several reasons. First and foremost, it allows you to declutter and remove expired or stale items that may have been overlooked throughout the year, ensuring the freshness and safety of the food you consume. It's also a great opportunity to reorganize your shelves, which makes meal preparation quicker and easier by having a clear inventory of available ingredients.
During winter, pests like mice and insects seek warm shelters, and a tidy pantry minimizes the risk of infestation. Additionally, a clean pantry can be restocked to cater to winter needs, ensuring that you have all the essentials for comfort food and holiday cooking.
If you’re serious about cleaning and doing it right, decluttering is one of the most worthwhile tasks you can do. As the colder months typically result in more time spent indoors, having a clutter-free environment can significantly impact your mental well-being, reducing stress and fostering a more relaxing and peaceful home atmosphere. Moreover, decluttering creates more space, giving you room to enjoy indoor activities, host gatherings, or simply move around more comfortably. It also allows for a more efficient cleaning process because with fewer items to maneuver around, cleaning becomes quicker and more thorough.
This tip goes back to tip #1 in that dust will be one of the things primarily affecting indoor air quality. Certain parts of your home will more likely be a refuge to dust, and these should be areas that you target first when you have the energy and will for a winter cleaning. Pay special attention to furniture, upholstery, curtains, and carpets - even though they may look clean, chances are high that they’re home to far more dust than you expect.
In a similar vein, if you’re lucky enough to be warming your frozen feet and hands by a fireplace this winter, do yourself a favor and give it an extra sweep every week or so to keep the ash at bay. Even with a small disturbance such as a breeze or a sneeze, ash can soar through the air and find new homes in and behind practically everything in your home.
From making soups to fixing up a big festive dinner, your kitchen is a busy place during winter. At the beginning of the season, set aside time to deep clean your kitchen, starting by emptying drawers and cabinets before cleaning the counters, walls, floor, and so forth. It’s also a good idea to clean out your refrigerator because it will likely fill up as the season progresses.
Just as you and your family are spending more time indoors than any other time of the year, you will similarly be cooking in your kitchen more often, rather than eating at a restaurant or outside on the back patio. Because of this extra use, you can surely expect your kitchen to become untidy and dirty faster than usual, so dedicating additional attention to cleaning your kitchen is certainly a good idea.
Our final (and favorite) tip is to outsource your cleaning tasks. Many people have New Year’s resolutions to spend more time with family, get in shape, or pursue various hobbies. However, it’s always a challenge to find the time to accomplish all that you want to do. This year, if you want more time for the things you love, consider outsourcing your house cleaning to a professional. There’s nothing better than coming home to a clean and tidy space each week without lifting a finger. The first step is to speak to a trusted cleaning company and request a quote.
Keeping your home clean is just as important, if not more important, than any other season of the year due to the increased time we spend indoors. If your home or business can use a professional cleaning touch, don’t hesitate and contact a professional house cleaning company you can trust. Call Yost Cleaning for a free quote!