There’s a reason why spring cleaning takes place in the spring: our homes tend to get dirtier over the winter. We’re not opening our windows as often, which contributes to indoor air pollution, and we’re dragging in slush and mud from the outdoors.

This means that winter cleaning requires a little more planning and effort to keep a home looking and smelling nice. Here are some top winter cleaning tips to help get your home ready for a Chicago winter.

Bring Out the Boot Trays

Now’s the time to bring out the boot trays so footwear doesn’t have a chance to drip snow, water, and road salt on floors and rugs. Always keep a doormat outside your residence and one indoors for your family and guests to use.

You may also want to enforce a no footwear policy for all guests during the winter months. To encourage this practice, stock up on slippers to hand out so people’s feet won’t feel the chill.

Buy Storage Containers for Holiday Decor

Our favorite holiday decorations can clutter our home and they always seem to be such a chore to put away. You can make the job less painful by purchasing holiday storage containers that are built just for ornaments, trees, wrapping paper, and other festive items.

Putting everything back in its proper place once the holidays are over will declutter your space fairly quickly.

Dust and Vacuum Where Dust Bunnies Breed

There’s a lot of nooks and crannies around your home that rarely get visited by a vacuum cleaner or dust cloth. Winter is a great time to tackle these tricky areas before the accumulation of dust contributes to allergies. You don’t have to wait until spring to give your residence a good deep cleaning.

Here are some of the parts of your home that you should clean:

• The undersides of furniture; they gather hidden dust bunnies
• The tops of doors including closet doors
• The tops, sides, and back of artwork, especially anything hanging
• The tops of kitchen cabinets
• The back of the refrigerator and other major appliances; moving these out of way will also give you access to clean the areas underneath them

You’ll also want to clear cobwebs from the corners of walls, ceilings, and any trim work. Take advantage of the time of day when sunlight hits the room you’re working in, as natural light tends to illuminate dust and cobwebs you normally can’t see.

Clean Your Windows

Many people wait until warmer spring days to give their windows a good cleaning. However, the outdoor crud they attract can reduce the amount of daylight entering your home. If you tend to suffer from the winter doldrums, keeping the windows clean before the cold and snow arrive can help keep your spirits up and your home looking bright.

Air the Home on Warm Days

When you get a Chicago thaw, a day that reaches at least 40 degrees Fahrenheit, open the windows of your home and air the house out for 15 minutes. This helps circulate and welcome fresh air into your dwelling and push dust particles outside.

This is also a good practice after someone in your household recovers from a cold or the flu. A clean home is good for your health, especially at this time of year is when viruses are floating around.

We Can Help with Winter Cleaning

If you don’t have time to upkeep your home’s cleanliness during the winter months or you’re simply overwhelmed, we can help. We serve the entire northern area of Chicago and the northwestern suburbs.

Request a free estimate and we’ll take winter cleaning into our own hands and out of yours!