Winter Home Cleaning Guide

What to Clean in your Home in Winter

Winter will be cold, wet, and windy outside, meaning your comfortable home is more essential than ever. With spending more time at home, you will both notice a build-up of dirt more and will probably create more dirt and mess as well.

Your everyday cleaning tasks will still all be carried out, but there are a few other areas which will need more attention and some deep cleaning, too.

 

1. Clean your radiators

With the heating on more often, your radiators really need to be ready to pump out as much heat as possible. A radiator covered with dust can actually be 30% less efficient than a clean one, so this is the first place to start if you feel your room isn’t getting as warm as it should be.

Use a really powerful vacuum to collect as much dust as possible first. You don’t want to spread it around as this can increase allergens in the home and create more work for you too. Then, a thin feather duster can get into any difficult parts behind the cover.

Again, have your vacuum to hand here to collect any flying dust. A steam cleaner can also be used to blast out any really difficult dirt, but you need to be careful to direct the steamer properly and also be aware of the high pressure this will cause, so don’t use it on any fragile materials.

• SPEEDY TOP TIP: If you hire a steam cleaner, you can also use it to clean hard floors, grout and any other difficult-to-reach spots in the home!

Radiators should be cold when cleaning is carried out, for safety. You may wish to lay some damp towels on the floor to collect any dust which falls.

 

2. Clean carpets

A summer of going in and out of the garden, on long walks and bringing in allergens such as pollen into the home can have a toll on your soft furnishings. Once the colder months kick in, you should think about cleaning your carpets properly.

This should be done once a year at the least, but maybe more if you have pets or children. Vacuum, bringing out all of the furniture and remembering skirting boards and the edges and corners of the room.

While all furniture is out, use a powerful carpet cleaner to clean the fibres. While vacuums are great at removing what’s on the surface, they can struggle with anything trodden in. A carpet cleaner will be able to effectively remove deeper dirt and you can use any handheld attachments to clean other furniture such as sofas too!

• SPEEDY TOP TIP: Don’t forget your rugs! Hang them outside for a bit and hit them with a brush or tennis racket to get all settled dust off. A carpet cleaner can then get rid of any dirt. Video

 

3. Keep the air fresh

Opening windows is wonderful. Fresh air really can help everything feel a lot crisper and remove any smells from cooking or general mustiness. But when you’re trying to keep the house warm, it is counterintuitive.

An air conditioning unit can keep the air in your home feeling fresher. It will also remove excess humidity, which can build up when you’re having to dry clothes inside or when you have the heating on, and the windows are cold on the outside.

 

4. Clean your bedding

By this, we don’t mean to wash your duvet covers and pillowcases (which you should do regularly anyway, we hope…). We mean washing your actual duvet in the washing machine or at the launderette, using that steam cleaner to sanitise the mattress and washing all of the decorative cushions, blankets and pillows you’ll be adding to make everything feel cosier.

In summer, you were probably a little bit sweaty in bed as you struggled to stay cool through the night. Giving everything a good clean will ensure it's fresh for the cooler weather.

 

5. Check the chimney

Do you have a real fire with a chimney? Dirt, leaves and even animals can all make it a home when it isn’t being used.

You should always check the chimney and get it cleaned out before lighting it in winter for the first time. You’re probably best hiring a professional chimney sweep in time for this, who will also check everything is safe to use.

Have a decorative fireplace instead? Give the display stones and glass a clean, buy some spare bulbs if yours uses them, and use a vacuum cleaner and damp microfibre cloth to get into all the corners.

• SPEEDY TOP TIP: Don’t throw away your old toothbrushes! A damp old toothbrush can be an ideal tool to get into tight corners such as fireplace grills. If you don’t have one, a cocktail stick with a cloth wrapped around can help with finer cleaning

 

6. Clear out the cupboards

Winter, which comes with more slow cooker use and spending time eating in, is a great time to go through your cupboards to see if anything is out of date, needs using ASAP, or can be used in a recipe but was previously hidden behind your pasta jars.

When everything is brought out, give your cupboard a good wipe with disinfectant. Ensure it is fully dried before you put everything back.

 

 

READY FOR MORE CLEANING TIPS?

Thank you for reading our Speedy Services guide on getting your home clean for the winter months.

You can also read more of our cleaning guides on our website.

Plus, there are plenty more tips and how-to guides where this came from, please visit our Skills and Projects page.

You’ll find all the power tools and hire equipment you need right here, why not start planning your next DIY project today and open a Speedy account online or instore for all your tool hire needs.

 

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