When we think of deep cleaning our homes, many of us think of spring cleaning. Throwing open windows and doors in the newly balmy weather and taking advantage of the breeze.
However, there are some things professional cleaners deep clean in winter, too. While we might be busy with hosting, the experts never miss these five spots, and for good reason.
Following this expert checklist doesn’t just make your house look clean; it gives you peace of mind, a healthier environment, and a sense of accomplishment before hosting. These are the cleaning tips professional cleaners never neglect in December.
Winter Deep Cleaning Checklist
If you are bogged down with hosting or seasonal blues, it is tempting to leave deep cleaning for your spring cleaning checklist.
However, Neel Parekh, founder and cleaning expert at MaidThis, explains, 'Your home takes the most damage from the inside during the winter. You are tracking in dirt, salt, and mud while keeping the windows closed, which keeps dust and allergens that would normally escape inside. If you wait until spring, you will be breathing dirty, stale air for months while dirt gets ground deeper into surfaces.'
So, this is the ideal deep cleaning schedule you should follow in winter to balance tasks with the rest of your seasonal commitments.
1. Start With Entryway Flooring
Ice and salt and can quickly ruin flooring.
Cleaning floors regularly is a must in winter, when we are tracking in moisture, dirt, and grit/salt from sidewalks and driveways.
Neel says, 'If you leave salt and moisture on carpet for too long, they will break down the fibers permanently. To get rid of salt residue, use a cleaning solution with a pH between eight and 10 and the hot water extraction method.
'Bissell and Hoover make good home units,' he recommends. We love the Bissell Little Green Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner, from Amazon, with reviewers claiming it helped to remove even old stains from flooring. Neem adds, however, 'if you need commercial power, rent a Rug Doctor.' You can do this at Lowe's.
2. Spruce Up Baseboards
Baseboards pick up more dirt as the heating comes on.
Neel warns, 'In the winter, heating systems and lack of airflow make baseboards and door frames greasy. This dirt attracts more dirt and gets harder to clean as time goes on.
'The Pink Stuff paste cleaner from Walmart works great for cleaning baseboards because it gets rid of the oily residue without hurting the paint. Use a damp cloth [such as a microfiber cloth, from Walmart] to apply it, wait 30 seconds, and then wipe it off.'
3. Check for Mold
Mold is easier to prevent than it is to treat.
We should all be cleaning our bathrooms weekly, but it is especially important to add mold deep cleaning to your winter checklist, Neel says.
'When there is nowhere for humidity to go, the bathroom is a great place for mold to grow,' he explains.
Beyond improving bathroom ventilation, Neel suggests checking the grout lines, the liner on your shower curtain, and the seal around the base of your toilet.
To get rid of mold, he suggests, 'Mix oxygen bleach powder, such as OxiClean from Walmart, with water to make a paste, and then scrub the grout with it. You can also use the Pink Stuff Bathroom Foam Cleaner, from Amazon,' he adds.
'If you see any black spots, you should completely replace your shower liner. While in the spring getting rid of mold costs thousands, in the winter, prevention costs 20 bucks.'
4. Check Heat Vents
It's also important to clean radiators to make them more efficient.
While tacking the baseboards, take a moment to check over and clean vents around your home.
Petya Holevich, house cleaning expert at Fantastic Services, advises, 'Cleaning the vents, wiping the radiators and replacing or washing the filters will provide your home with better air quality and improve the heating efficiency.'
Tackling this task now not only makes heating more efficient, reducing heating costs over the colder months, but also improves indoor air quality, too, Petya explains. It is far more beneficial than leaving it for spring.
5. Deep Clean Soft Furnishings
When lounging indoors for longer, it pays to have clean upholstery.
One thing people with clean upholstery always do is refresh it throughout the year, not just in spring and summer.
While it is beneficial to have warm weather to speed up drying times, Petya warns, 'Fabric surfaces trap dust, pet dander and odours more quickly in winter because the windows stay closed and the moisture levels indoors rise. Deep cleaning them during this season prevents indoor air from becoming heavy or musty. If you wait until spring, you’ll be spending the entire winter sitting and breathing in that buildup.'
You can clean a sofa without a vacuum, but having the best vacuums for pet hair makes the task ten times easier, even in petless homes, with specialised upholstery attachments to get into the nooks and crannies.
What to Shop
Distilled white vinegar is a fantastic non-toxic cleaning tool for any home. When used correctly, it can help to kill mold and bacteria, as well as tackle odors and lighten stains, all without harsh chemicals.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has certified Attitude products as non-toxic, meaning they contain no harsh chemicals or artificial compounds.
Microfiber cloths are machine washable, meaning you can reuse them for years with proper care. Simply wash after use on a warm water cycle and gentle detergent (skip the softener) to sanitize.
The Scrub Daddy sponge softens under hard water and toughens under cold water, allowing you to adjust the level of abrasive you need depending on the task at hand.
This large room air purifier cleans rooms up to 1,000 sq ft in one hour, helping to remove dust from the air before it can settle around your home.
The BISSELL Little Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner is frequently touted by users as one of the best upholstery cleaning tools, with some reviews stating it even sucked decades old stains out of fabric.
Meet the Experts
Neel is the Founder & CEO of MaidThis® Franchise, a national, tech-enabled cleaning franchise that helps residential homeowners and short-term rental hosts (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.) with their cleanings.
Petya Holevich is an experienced house cleaning and laundry expert with over 5 years of dedicated time at Fantastic Services.
It can be hard to balance chores with social plans in winter. Luckily, professional cleaners have shared their best tips for cleaning when feeling overwhelmed to tackle your tasks without burning out.
