Most people are obsessed with spring cleaning. But don’t you think deep cleaning your home in winters is really essential? Your home tracks plenty of dust and dirt during the spring and summer seasons, and you spend most of your time indoors during winter, so that dirty air keeps recycling through your home all winter long.
You can do this deep-cleaning task by yourself if you don’t want to spend money on a professional crew. Follow these ten steps to remove dust and dirt from hard reaching places.
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Time To Clean HVAC
Every winter, make sure you replace your air filter and get your air ducts and vents cleaned professionally. It’s recommended to replace filters every three months. We recommend cleaning it more regularly when you use your HVAC heavily. Filters help to pull dust particles out of the air to create cleaner and healthier air for you to breathe. It is crucial to replace your air filters after long periods of smoke exposure due to a nearby wildfire. Smoke in the air heavily soils the filters making them no longer safe to use.
Don’t Forget To Look Behind Your Fridge.
During the winters, don’t forget to pull the fridge out from the wall. Not only the wall and floor but clean the refrigerator coils also. Dirty coils hinder energy efficiency and can increase your monthly bill by $5 or $10. This may seem insignificant but think when you keep spending $10 every month for a year. Now, this seems meaningful! Make sure you unplug your refrigerator before cleaning or any maintenance. You can use a coil brush or special vacuum attachment to take away unwanted dirt.
Remove The Clutter
The more stuff you’ve lying around, the more dust has to settle. If you want your house to be clean and tidy, then organization is the key. If you see anything you haven’t used for two to three months, keep them away in storage because you probably don’t need them as of now. You can start with seasonal storage. For instance, pack up the swimwear in winters and snow boots during the summer.
Attention To The Couches And Carpets
While most people think vacuuming is the best way to clean couches and carpets, it isn’t true. Vacuums may keep the dirt and dust from building up, but this quick method doesn’t clean it properly. Rent or buy a steam cleaner to deep clean your carpets, cushions, curtains, couches, etc. If you want to clean your old carpet due to stains or pet odors, you can get a professional team to do a shampoo treatment for your carpets.
Clean The Windows
Dirty windows block the light from coming inside your room, and it gets gloomier when there’s no proper sunlight. Scrub the insides and outsides of your windows to let your room get brightened by the sunlight. You can bring a natural window washing solution and mix it to clean your windows.
Don’t ignore curtains and valances as they hold very unhygienic dust and allergen. Curtain cleaning is often expensive, but you may wash them in the washing machine, depending on the material. More expensive curtains with higher quality materials need to be cleaned by professional cleaners to ensure they are properly cleaned and pressed.
Deep Cleaning The Kitchen
We wipe our kitchen counters now and then, but what about drawers and cabinets? Winters are the perfect season to take everything out of your cabinets and clean them properly. Take out some extra time to reduce unwanted cutlery or clutter that is occupying space in the kitchen. Another deep clean is de-griming hood vents and backsplashes. It’s essential to do this as you don’t open the windows in the winter, so cleaning these items could reduce strong cooking smells.
Also, make sure you give enough attention to your pantry. Take out some time to replace expired products and identify damaged or leaked packets. Throwing out old items will help clear out space for more commonly used items.
Don’t Forget The Chimney.
Regularly cleaning your chimney is a way of preventing any fire hazards and keeping the air in your home clean and healthy to breathe. You can always call the professional team to clean your chimneys, but you can also do it yourself. Just pick the proper tools and cover everything in your room with a drop cloth as the dirt and debris can ruin expensive textiles and furniture.
Flush Out Sink Drains
Blocked or clogged pipes can become a headache in winters. Improperly working pipes can freeze and burst at any moment, causing you unwanted expenditure. To prevent this, you can try an affordable solution. Use white vinegar and soda to flush out your drains. If you want that odor to go, you can squeeze a lemon and mix it with the mixture. After this, use hot water to flush down as it kills all the germs and bacteria.
Degrease The Oven
During the winter months, your oven sees a lot of action. From baking to preparing comfort foods for cold days, it may become quite a mess. Cleaning your oven is essential to avoid smoke, fire, and food stains and odor. Make a homemade non-toxic mixture to clean the stains and burnt food out of your oven. However, you can use the self-clean function where the oven produces excessive heat to burn the food, which sometimes produces excessive smoke.
Wash And Disinfect Garbage Cans And Wastebaskets
Take your garbage cans and wastebaskets outside, throw everything out and spray with a disinfectant. You can mix hydrogen peroxide or vinegar with water and pour it into the garbage cans; it is more eco-friendly. Remember, don’t mix hydrogen peroxide with vinegar as the results are harmful. After an hour, clean them with a garden hose to eliminate any residue.
Our Final Thoughts
With the weather getting cold outside, make sure your home is clean and cozy to keep you comfortable and healthy indoors. One of the best ways to start the deep cleaning process is to start small. It would be best if you didn’t take up everything at once and get overwhelmed with it. Start with drawers, cabinets, fridge, furniture, etc. Think about what you can break up in small batches to clean. Divide the whole house into batches and start cleaning them one by one until you have done your job.
