During the winter, days are shorter, nights are longer, and we spend most of our time indoors.
As a result, dust and dirt can quickly pile up if you do not maintain your home regularly.
While spring is the designated cleaning season, it doesn’t mean you should neglect your house during the winter months.
Instead, use this simple winter cleaning checklist to stay on top of your cleaning game and keep your home tidy all season:
Give Your Radiators Some Love
You wouldn’t believe how much dust can collect in the crevices of your radiators. And dusty radiators can cause multiple problems for you and your family members.
For example, if someone in your home struggles with respiratory issues or asthma, their condition could worsen when dirty radiators are used.
Additionally, dust collected in your radiators can reduce their heating power by up to 30%. That means you will pay more to keep your house warm.
Instead of dealing with health issues and higher bills, take an hour to clean your radiators thoroughly.
Just fill a bucket with warm water and vinegar, dip in a clean cloth, and then wipe down all the radiators in your home. It’s that easy!
Clean Your Carpets
Even when they seem clean, your carpets and rugs can contain bacteria, pet hair, and debris.
One foolproof trick to eliminate dust from your home is to take your rugs outside and beat them with a whisk, a stick, or even a tennis racket.
An ordinary vacuum cleaner cannot get all the dust, sand, and dirt out of rugs, so make it a habit to beat your rugs once per season to keep them clean.
For installed carpeting, consider investing in a home carpet cleaner so that you can deep-clean your carpets a couple of times a year.
If that’s not an option, then consider cleaning and freshening your carpets with baking soda! Simply sprinkle it over the carpet, let it sit for 15 minutes, and then vacuum as usual.
Wash Your Curtains
Just like your carpets and rugs, curtains that seem clean may actually be full of dust and dirt. Luckily, cleaning most curtains is an incredibly easy process.
Simply throw them in the washing machine (use the delicate cycle if they don’t have washing instructions), and then hang them back to dry on their curtain rods.
Using this method saves time and energy by not using the dryer, and helps ensure wrinkle-free curtains that look like new.
Freshen Up Your Blankets
Winter months are the perfect time for snuggling under a soft blanket with a cup of tea and a great book.
However, you won’t be able to enjoy this activity if your blankets are musty or smelly. That’s why freshening your blankets should be a top priority on your winter cleaning checklist.
Start by washing the sheets, blankets, pillows, and duvet covers on all of the beds in the house. If your duvets themselves have never been washed, they may benefit from some refreshing as well.
Even down duvets benefit from occasional washing! Just make sure to use a gentle detergent with a delicate wash cycle, and hang the duvet to dry.
Next, wash or refresh any throw blankets on your couches or chairs.
Many throws are machine washable, but ones made of materials like wool may simply need a good shaking and some airing out outdoors to freshen them up.
Scrub Your Fridge
Over the holiday season, people tend to end up with plenty of festive leftovers filling the fridge.
And if you’re like most people, you may have forgotten about some of those leftovers that have likely now gone bad.
That’s why the post-holiday season is the perfect time to give your fridge a thorough cleaning and scrubbing.
Since you’ll be taking everything out of the fridge, take this opportunity to go through your jars and condiments to see which ones have expired.
Toss out anything that’s gone bad, and spend a bit of time organizing the remaining items for easy usage.
To minimize your effort, do this chore the day before you go shopping for groceries, so that most of your fridge is already empty.
Replace Your Toothbrushes
Winter is cold and flu season, and most people will end up with a cough, cold, or fever at least once.
Toothbrushes should be changed at least every three months, and if your family has recently dealt with some seasonal sickness, that makes toothbrush replacement even more important.
Toss your old toothbrushes, and make sure to put your toothbrush holder through the dishwasher before using it for the new ones.
You’ll be helping to ensure optimal dental health while also minimizing the chances of your family ending up sick again.
Use Vinegar and Baking Soda For Clean Appliances
You don’t need fancy or expensive cleaning products to keep your home spotless. Most cleaning can be done with items you already have in your kitchen.
Vinegar is a natural disinfectant that’s great for all kinds of cleaning jobs. If you haven’t cleaned your dishwasher recently, try doing so with vinegar!
Simply put a cup 3/4 full of vinegar upright in the top rack of your dishwasher, and then run as normal. Don’t add vinegar to the dishwasher directly, as this can damage the rubber seals and gaskets!
You can also use vinegar mixed with water in a spray bottle as an all-purpose cleaner to wipe down counters, windows, and appliances.
For tougher jobs that require some scrubbing, however, turn to that trusty box of baking soda. There are well over 100 uses for baking soda, including keeping your kitchen spotless.
For example, if your oven could use a good cleaning after all that holiday cooking, simply make a paste of baking soda and water and smear it over the dirty spots inside the oven.
Let it sit for 15-30 minutes, and then wipe away the residue and dirt with a damp cloth or sponge for a sparking clean oven interior.
Getting through the cold winter months can be tough, but it’s much easier when you have a fresh and clean living space to come home to.
By following this simple winter cleaning checklist, your home will be clean and comfortable throughout the winter season.