Winter Cleaning Tips for Your Chicago Home

Winter is upon us in The Windy City and that means snowy weather and lots of time staying snug and cozy inside. We thought we’d share these useful winter cleaning tips for your Chicago home.

Early Winter Season Maintenance Tips

Although not all of these are strictly cleaning tips, they are necessary preparations you should make before cold air blasts make its way through.

• Replace batteries in smoke and carbon dioxide detectors. Wintertime in Chicago is notorious for fires and carbon monoxide poisoning affecting the local communities. So it makes sense to replace all batteries in your detectors and perform checks to be sure all are in working order. While you’re handling the detectors, wipe them down if there’s a dust build-up as this can affect its performance.
• Get your furnace inspected. Not only is this necessary to keep you and your family safe, but the last thing you want during below-freezing temperatures is for your furnace to go out. You can also look at the burner flame of the furnace. If it’s yellow rather than blue, it’s time for maintenance or possibly even replacement of the furnace.
• Change out HVAC filters. The EPA says you should switch out your HVAC filters every three months to ensure good air quality in the home. Soak ventilation covers in a hot, soapy water solution. This helps reduce dust in your home, which should prevent your floors and furniture from accumulating more dust.
• WInterize Windows. Clean windows and frames, then add weather stripping where needed. This will help insulate your home and keep more of that cold, Chicago air where it belongs – outside of your home.
• Clean out your dryer’s lint buildup. This has to be done, especially before the dry air of winter sets in. If it isn’t, it’s a major fire hazard. Remove the lint that accumulated earlier in the year. Pull the dryer away from the wall and disconnect the back pipe. Clean the out the hole and pipe. You can use a vacuum to remove lint from dryer vents.

Dealing With The Snow This Winter

It’s easy to get excited when winter turns our city into a winter wonderland. But, then the realization sets in that all that white powder is a nuisance to keep up with. It leaves a slushy mess in your entryway and tracks up your floors. Who wants a melting pot of water dripping in their home?

Hopefully, these tips will help you keep it all in check.

Set up a good defense against the snow.

The key is to stop the snow from entering your home at the onset. This will save you a whole lot of time and stress. Have one doormat right outside the door to shake excess snow off of your winter boots and shoes.

And, have another one right inside your entryway at the door to capture any remaining snow. If the floor plan of your home allows it, have a chair right next to the door so that you can sit down and take your boots off at the entrance.

Buy boot trays to place near all doors that go to the outside. You can even purchase decorative ones that are more appealing. You might also consider having small laundry baskets in the same areas to place wet socks in.

The key is simply to keep all the slush and snow outside from being tracked inside the house. Make it a house rule that no one comes through the house with boots or shoes on. This should be the number one rule this winter to help keep your home cleaner.

Clean entryways more often.

Even if you manage to get everyone on board with removing their boots and socks at entrances, there will still be some debris tracked in at that point. Once the family has clean socks and slippers on, they can still track in dirt from outside.

So, make it a point to clean those entryways more often, particularly on high traffic days when all the excess moisture and dirt has been shaken off by doorways. If you don’t, it will accumulate over time and manage to find its way all over your home.

Winter Cleaning Tips for Your Chicago Home

• Declutter and purge your home. It will be quite tempting to simply stay under the covers and binge-watch your favorite show. But, make use of some of that time to declutter your home and get rid of excess items. Try and make a goal to do one room a week. As you purge an area, follow it up with a good cleaning in those areas. By the time winter’s halfway through, your home will be more airy and uncluttered and you’ll enjoy spending more time inside. If you have to stay in the house more, you may as well have your home looking its best. A decluttered home promotes feelings of relaxation and positivity. You can donate excess items if you’ve accumulated a lot of unwanted baggage. You can even call a junk removal company to haul it away for you.
• Deep clean your kitchen to prepare for holiday gatherings. Once the holidays get here, we’re always short on time. Act now and take everything out of the cabinets and wipe it all down. Pay special attention to any dishes or cutlery you use during the holiday season. Clean them before that time comes and remember to declutter while you’re going through everything. Replace liners in drawers, if needed.
• Steam clean carpets and furniture. Once again, since you’ll be spending so much time relaxing inside, you want everything to be spic and span. It might be a good time to steam clean everything, from carpets to sofas to chairs and more. Once that’s done, make sure to vacuum regularly to keep it all looking good.
• Wash winter bedding. You probably stored your winter bedding and blankets at the end of last winter. It’s time to pull it all out and wash them so they’ll be clean when the frigid temperatures make their way through Chi-town.
• Hire a cleaning agency to give your home a thorough cleaning. Think about doing it right before sub-freezing temperatures set in or a couple of weeks before the holidays kick-off. If your budget allows, think about having a cleaning agency once or twice a month to help keep up a solid cleaning routine of your Chicago home. That way, you can enjoy more time relaxing this winter.