Winter Cleaning – comfort in the long, dark days

Winter is a time of shorter days and longer nights, dark evenings and colder weather. It’s also a time of festivities and preparing for friends and family getting together to enjoy the Christmas and New Year celebrations.  Many of us enjoy decorating our homes and you will want it to look its best. Whatever you do at this time of the year, you will want your home to be cosy and comforting so you will be thinking about winter cleaning. The White Cleaning Co has been helping our customers with winter cleaning services for over a decade, taking some of the weight off their shoulders at this busy time of the year.

Why is there a need for winter cleaning?

Winter is a time of cold, often stormy weather. We batten down the hatches so to speak. Our heating is switched on and the windows are closed. Wet clothing hanging in the hall, muddy boots and paw prints on the floor and the housework will go on.  We may be inviting visitors and want to ensure the house is clean before hanging decorations. Which jobs need doing in a winter clean depends upon when you last undertook a deep clean.

Cleaning your home for the winter season

It is a good idea to have a regular cleaning routine to help keep on top of the housework. Winter cleaning is about checking everything over and noting all the additional jobs that need doing. Once you have a list, you can go about getting the tasks done, either by yourself or with help. If you have a family, why not get everyone involved? Even little ones enjoy helping with the dusting or polishing, something solid that can’t be broken. It is certain they’ll love helping with any festive decorations too.

Hiring others

There are some jobs that it’s probably easier to bring in the professionals. Your autumn cleaning will have meant having the boiler serviced, gutters cleaned and, if you have a chimney or wood burner, having it swept and inspected. If these have not been done, and are due, do add them to your list. It would be a sad thing for the boiler to break down over Christmas or on one of the coldest days.

Carpet cleaning in winter can be done by yourself by hiring a machine. Depending on your home and the size and number of carpets to be cleaned, it could be easier to bring in a carpet cleaning company.

If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of having extra cleaning jobs on top of everything else then winter cleaning services can be done for you by a reputable company like The White Cleaning Co. Our services are bespoke, so we can do as much or as little as you want.

Getting down to that list

You have engaged professionals for the jobs you can’t or don’t want to do, so what about the rest? Here are some of the jobs that are likely to need doing.

Do some Decluttering

Decluttering makes room for new items and space to work with as we fill our cupboards ready for Christmas and New Year.

• Clear out kitchen cupboards to store the additional groceries we purchase for the festive season. This is an opportunity to clean the inside. This can be done with warm, soapy water or, even quicker, a good-quality disinfecting wipe.
• Many of us receive gifts of toiletries, so bathroom cabinets can be cleared to make room for new ones.
• Similarly, clothing that is no longer worn can be sorted for the local charity shop, sold online or for general disposal. Clean and line drawers with scented paper ready for new clothes to be neatly stored.
• Winter is a great time to clear out children’s toy cupboards ready for Santa’s gifts. Items that they no longer play with or have grown out of can be passed on, resold, or given to a charity shop.

A winter cleaning regime

After decluttering you will be ready to clean. Think about whether things need changing around, either for your guests or decorations or perhaps to make a room feel cosier for the cold, dark days. 

Lounges

• Move large items of furniture and vacuum underneath before putting them back in place. If they’re to be moved to a new place, make sure that the space is cleaned first.
• Dust shelves and display cabinets and relocate or store items that will be temporarily moved for decorations or gifts.
• Fireplaces and hearths will need cleaning, especially if an open fire has been burning. Ensure the firebox is fully cold before sweeping out and cleaning. Take care in placing decorations near an open fire.
• Does your upholstery need cleaning? It may only need brushing or wiping or a patch needing attention. You can do it yourself or engage a tradesperson.
• Curtains will be drawn for longer during the winter, try to arrange cleaning in the autumn, however, it’s a good idea to vacuum dust from curtains using the appropriate attachment.

Kitchens and utility rooms

• If you’ve decluttered your kitchen cupboards they will already be cleaned, if not then tackle them now.
• Your oven will probably be well-used over the season. Does it need cleaning? This you can do yourself or engage a tradesperson.
• Another appliance that is well-used in wintertime is your freezer. Cleaning a freezer will require it to be defrosted so a very cold, frosty day is great for this job. Unless you have a second freezer, items can be left in a cool bag outside whilst the job is tackled. Plan ahead to use up the contents so fewer items need storing safely.  When cleaning a freezer, placing a container of warm water inside can speed up defrosting. If you do this take care with potential leakage onto the floor. A mix of warm water and bicarbonate of soda is the best thing to use to clean the inside. Make sure that the sides and drawers are completely dry before switching on. Before restocking, make sure the correct temperature has been reached.
• Your fridge will also be hard at work, so clean this the same way as your freezer. Though this isn’t as big a job.
• Ensure your kitchen ventilator is clean and in good working order. In wintertime steam from cooking is worse than at other times as it is cold outside and warmer indoors. Use your cooker’s hood and ensure the hood’s filter is clean, if not, replace it.
• There are rules on ventilation in homes and the Government has recommendations for keeping a home well-ventilated. Existing home ventilation guide – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Bathrooms and cloakrooms

Bathrooms are cleaned regularly, but they do get steamier in the wintertime. Mould build-up can be a problem so use a proprietary mould remover if this happens. Keeping the bathroom ventilated will help reduce this issue.

Bedrooms.

Do you need to change your duvet to a warmer weight? How warm a duvet is needed will vary according to personal needs. Duvets come with a TOG rating. TOG stands for Thermal Overall Grade is measured from 1 to 15, where 1 is the coolest to 15 is the warmest.

If you are having guests and they will be using a spare bedroom, then air this room and vacuum the mattress. If your vacuum cleaner doesn’t have a mattress head, simply use any similar brush-style head. Additionally, clean underneath and behind the bed. The less dust the better it is for health.

These can be heavy jobs and something our staff carry out as part of our winter cleaning services.

All Rooms

• In wintertime, we use lighting more than at any other time of the year, so light fittings will benefit from a clean.
• Windows may need cleaning more often, especially if they are prone to steam up. Closing kitchen and bathroom doors when cooking or showering will reduce this issue in other rooms.
• Any ventilation grilles should be cleaned and checked as this helps with condensation.

Winter Cleaning Checklist

Calling the professionals

• Carpet cleaning in winter is popular, so book this in plenty of time.
• Find out if the carpet company also cleans upholstery, having both done at the same time can reduce costs.
• The White Cleaning Co offers bespoke winter cleaning services.

For yourself or a cleaning company to tackle

• Decluttering
• Soft furnishings
• Carpets and Upholstery
• Beds and Duvets              
• General dusting, cleaning and vacuuming
• Windows
• Kitchen and bathroom cabinets
• Children’s toy cupboards

Winter cleaning services

Having your home clean and organised for the winter season leaves you ready to enjoy the season’s celebrations. Not everything listed here will need attention, but we hope it helps you when planning ahead. If cleaning your home has become a chore or you need a helping hand then The White Cleaning Co’s winter cleaning services could be just the gift you need. Please get in touch to see if we can help!