Winter cleaning checklist and tips for homeowners

Pre-winter cleaning

Here’s what should be on your pre-winter home cleaning checklist:

☐ Ceiling fan blades

Ceiling fans gather dust, so they should be cleaned regularly. This dustiness worsens in the winter since cold air draws out more moisture and causes us to shed dead skin (aka one of the components of dust). 

Get rid of that layer of dust by using a pillowcase to “sweep” it off each blade. While at it, you can change ceiling fans to run clockwise and push warm air down during the cold season.

☐ Furnace

This is an essential part of any pre-winter home checklist. As mentioned, the air gets very dry in winter, and this causes more dust to float around, causing possible blockages to your furnace. To keep your furnace efficient, clean it at least once a month, especially in winter.

☐ Fireplace

You’ll be using the fireplace a lot more come winter, so it’s time to clean out all the soot and dust bunnies! This improves your home’s air quality, especially when you and your family spend more time indoors. Go ahead and learn how to clean your fireplace, or hire a fireplace cleaning service.

☐ Air ducts and vents

Doing this reduces dust and germs not just during winter but all year round. Since this chore can get tricky, you can get a duct cleaning service to do this.

☐ Floors

Haven’t had time to do this all year? It’s never too late! Deep cleaning floors includes vacuuming, scrubbing, brushing tile grout, and shampooing your carpet. These tasks help protect your flooring and minimize the clean-up needed after a winter season full of mud, snow, and deposits.

☐ Shoe-cleaning zone

Maintaining clean floors during winter can be challenging, but it helps to have an outdoor rug and/ or boot scraper to remove all the snow, soil, and other dirt from your shoes before you head indoors. Also, keep an absorbent rug at the indoor side of the entrance to absorb melting snow since this salt water can ruin your floors.

☐ Shelves, cabinets, and closets

Winter means more bugs and rodents looking for food and shelter, and they’ll most likely find it in your dirty nooks and crannies! This is why it’s so important to deep-clean your pantry, linen closets, and all the other drawers and shelves in your home.

☐ Gutters

Cleaning gutters in winter can be tricky and dangerous, so experts recommend doing this in the fall instead. 

To clean your gutters properly, use a scoop to get the gunk out of your gutters. Place the debris in a bucket or on a tarp laid out on your lawn. Then, flush the gutters out with a hose. 

Regular gutter cleaning prevents roof damage due to the weight of snow and ice.

Cleaning during winter

How do you keep your house clean during winter? Just make these tasks a part of your winter cleaning checklist:

☐ Dust everything

The warm, dry air means more dust in the winter. Regular dusting can help keep cleaning more manageable, especially during long cold seasons. Don’t forget the tops of window moldings, knick-knacks on shelves, cabinets, picture frames, and underneath furniture and appliances.

☐ Clean the windows

Another reason your house gets so dirty during winter is the soot from candles or the fireplace. No need to use fancy cleaning solutions; a simple vinegar and water solution typically works great! Don’t forget your window sills and your drapes or blinds.

☐ Clean the ceiling

Like the windows, your ceiling absorbs a lot of dirt during winter, especially around stoves and fireplaces. To clean your ceiling, use a simple mixture of soapy water. Make sure to test clean a small portion of the ceiling before you go all out! It also helps to use a telescoping duster or mop, especially for hard-to-reach ceilings.

☐ Deep-clean fabrics and upholstery

Can you spring-clean in winter? You sure can! Since you’re spending more time indoors, it’s the perfect opportunity to look into the areas of your home that could do with some sprucing up.

One of the tasks you can do is deep clean your couch, cushions, and other upholstered furniture. Since dust, crumbs, and other types of dirt have accumulated over the year, it’s high time you got these out of the nooks and crannies of your furniture. 

Besides regular vacuuming and wiping down, you can schedule a professional deep cleaning for these items.

☐ Deep-clean rugs and carpets

Don’t forget to add carpet cleaning to your winter cleaning checklist! Besides regular vacuuming, your carpets and rugs need deep cleaning too. Depending on your rug material and size, you can opt to wash them yourself or book a carpet cleaning service to do it for you.

☐ Clean your car

Yes, you still need to clean your car during winter since it can pick up a lot of deposits and salt mixtures that can corrode your vehicle. As long as the temperature is between 50 °F and 89 °F (10-32 °C), you can safely wash your car without worrying about freezing it. 

You can go to touchless car washes, heat your garage before washing, or simply use hot (not boiling!) water to wash your car.