Practical Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Home

From ashes all over the furnace to salt and snow tracks all over the floor, winter season can get really messy and calls for deep cleaning and purging. While it’s common for most homeowners to feel the urge to clean their homes during the spring season, winter’s a great change of pace for those who love spotless living spaces. Below are great cleaning ideas for the winter to help you get started:

Changing Your Furnace Filters

Ideally, you want to clean your furnace before winter comes rolling in. We recommend cleaning the furnace filter at least once a month to make your home even more energy efficient. A clean furnace filter also helps keep the air inside your home cleaner. The furnace could accumulate dust and grime so scrub it clean and vacuum all the dust bunnies underneath.

Cleaning the Floors and Carpets

Winter is brutal on the floor, rugs, and carpets because of the incessant salt and snow tracks. Salt could destroy the finish of your floor and it could accumulate on the fibers of your carpet. To clean your floors and rid it of salt and snow tracks, wipe it with a sponge dampened with mild cleanser. Steam clean your carpet to get rid of deep seated dirt, grime, dust, and salt.

If your floor is hardwood, it’s important to remove traces of salt immediately to avoid destroying its finish. We recommend allocating an area near the front door for snow boosts. This helps minimize the mess on the floor.

Removing Dust

Because winter air is dry and cold, dust could accumulate in crevices and cracks all over your home. Dust could trigger allergies, so it’s important to wipe dust clean especially if you have pets around. With a damp cloth, wipe your home surfaces from top to bottom. Ceiling fans, window moldings, and tops of books are common places where dust accumulates so wipe them off too.

Finally, consider hiring a professional cleaner to rid your home air ducts of dust. This helps minimize dust, allergens, and germs from floating into the air. Clean air ducts also help make your furnace even more energy-efficient.

Wiping the Windows Clean

Cleaning the windows should be a priority when house cleaning, more so during the winter. If you have a fireplace, soot could accumulate on your windows; dust will also accumulate, making your home look dingy. We recommend mixing a solution of water and vinegar to wipe the window free of grime and soot. To prevent streaks, follow up by wiping the window with dry old newspaper.

Cleaning the Kitchen Ceiling

The kitchen ceiling is one of the dirtiest—yet most overlooked—parts of the home for cleaning. The kitchen ceiling accumulates a combination of oil, grime, dusts, and fumes from all the cooking. This makes the walls and the stove extremely dirty. With mild soap and a bucket of water, scrub the place clean with a sponge. To avoid streaks, keep several old newspapers handy to wipe down the excess water. For discolored areas of the kitchen, you might need stronger cleanser to remove stains.