Cleaning becomes a lot more important when the cold weather introduces some not-so-great challenges. From cold and flu season to tracking wet messes on your boots, this blog will share winter cleaning tips from the house cleaning services Toronto relies on for super-clean homes.
Take a Proactive Approach
Nothing contributes to dirty homes more than wet winter boots and shoes. However, you can overcome these slushy, salty messes by proactively controlling what you track in from the winter streets.
Little steps like removing your best area rug from the entryway, adding a boot tray to collect melting snow and dirt from crusty salt boot bottoms, and having a more functional welcome mat to remove dirt and wetness from shoes all contribute to a cleaner home in the cold months.
Get Organized
Cute hats and fashionable scarves aside, all the outerwear you and your family pile on to keep warm is a pain when it comes to keeping things tidy. Getting your foyer/entrance more organized helps reduce all the extra clutter that can make your home feel messy.
Things like hooks on the wall, boot trays, baskets for mitts and scarves, and more space in your hall closet will help organize your home and make it more presentable.
Having a hook for each member of the household makes it easier for everyone to help keep things tidy. If space is really limited and baskets are out of the question, you can hang a mesh bag on each hook to store winter accessories.
Keep on Top of Wet, Stinky Socks, Hats, and Mitts
Be sure to check your kids’ baskets/mesh bags and hooks for wet hats and mitts, which can get stinky if not allowed to dry properly. If you’re home when they come in from school or playing, ask them for their wet things and toss them in the dryer or hang them somewhere they’ll dry quickly.
If you follow our basket or mesh bag advice above, be sure to give them the sniff test regularly. You can also spray them with something like Febreze to reduce odours that tend to hang around your entry from musty, wet stuff like socks and mitts. That odour can transfer onto clean clothes stored in the basket, so be sure it stays fresh!
Clean Boot Trays and Mats
Give the boot tray a quick vacuum every week to remove any of the salt and sand left behind from your boots. You should also vacuum or shake out the welcome mat to keep it as clean as possible. Otherwise, people will track in debris clinging to the mat.
Keep Fido Dry
If you have a dog, they can create a real mess in the winter with wet fur and paws. Have a mini cleaning station where you have pet-safe wipes to clean their paws, and a towel to help dry off the dampness on their fur.
Cleaning up after your pet by following this step can prevent dirty paw marks on floors, while also making sure a little doggy shake won’t release too much wet dog smell into your home. You might consider buying your furry chum some dog booties to make it easy to reduce the mess, while also protecting their little paws from the cold and wetness.
Up Your Wipe Game
During cold and flu season, it makes sense to up your wipe game and switch to antibacterial wipes to reduce the spread of germs. Clean frequently touched surfaces such as light switches, door knobs, the fridge handle, electronics like TV changers and gaming devices, faucets, etc. daily to help keep germs to a minimum.
Having wipes handy in the kitchen, bathroom, and living room will make life easier and also act as a reminder to use them more often.
Vacuum More Often
Salt and sand tracked in from outside are good examples of the special challenges presented in the winter. If they get trapped in your carpet, they make it feel uncomfortable underfoot, but can also carry contaminants that can make you sick.
Winterit’s a good idea to vacuum also tends to be dry skin season, which means everyone sheds more dead skin cells. If you have carpeting, then it’s a good idea to vacuum more often in the cold months to keep your floors clean.
Be Careful When Using a Wet Mop
If you use a wet mop on your floors, be extra careful to vacuum or sweep the floors first. That sand and salt residue can wreak havoc on floor finishes, creating tiny scratches that eventually dull the floor. Running a wet mop over the floor without sweeping first means you’re dragging that debris all around.
Wash the Sheets More Often
Between the dead skin cells mentioned above and increased germs from cold and flu, washing your sheets more frequently in the winter is a must. You should also toss machine-washable things like your cushions, pillows, and comforters, and throw blankets in the wash more often to reduce the spread of germs and the ick factor of dry skin flakes everywhere.
Clean the Toilet Brush
Most people don’t clean their toilet brush. However, with cold and flu season comes some unpleasant tummy bugs and symptoms like diarrhea that can cling to the toilet brush, increasing germs in the bathroom.
So, how does one clean a toilet brush? Well, the easiest way is to first remove anything clinging to it by swishing it in unsoiled toilet water (be sure to flush the toilet after you do this). Then, hold the brush over the toilet and spritz it with an antibacterial cleaning product.
You should also put on gloves and clean the holder with an antibacterial cleaner using disposable cloths like paper towels before you put the brush away. If someone has been ill, wear a mask and gloves and soak both the brush and holder in water with a bit of bleach to kill the germs.
Book Subscription House Cleaning Services in Toronto
Calling in house cleaning services in Toronto on repeat is the easiest way to keep your home clean in the cold months. Whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, they’ll arrive based on a recurring cleaning schedule to make life easier.
Following these house cleaning services that Toronto pros recommend will keep your home cleaner and healthier this winter.
For more information about Maid4Condos’ house cleaning services in Toronto, click here. You can also call us at 647-822-0601 or contact us online.
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