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Keeping your home clean and tidy during the winter will also help you get started on spring cleaning.
Winter is the ideal time to thoroughly clean the room where you spend most of your time due to the cold weather.
Cleanliness and order in the house have a great impact on the physical and mental health of its inhabitants. Obviously, maintaining cleanliness and order in your living space is very important and winter is the ideal time to restore order and disinfection. Healthline writes about the importance of putting things in order in winter.
Thorough cleaning prevents seasonal diseases
Regularly cleaning and disinfecting your home can help prevent the spread of cold and flu viruses, especially before and after entertaining during the holidays.
You or other family members can easily become infected or spread the virus by touching surfaces that have previously been touched by someone who has the virus. According to experts, bacteria tend to be transferred to hands from hard, non-porous surfaces. Regular house cleaning will protect your home from infections.
Particular attention should be paid to the following surfaces:
- table tops
- door handles, cabinet handles, refrigerator handles, sink handles
- drains and sinks
- shower cabins
- toilets
- sponges and dishrags
Cleaning improves air quality
Regular cleaning can improve the air quality in your home year-round. During the winter, indoor air quality can deteriorate, increasing the risk of respiratory infections and allergies. Pollution is partly to blame. During warmer months, hazardous emissions naturally dissipate into the sky. During cool weather, pollution that occurs at ground level, such as from idling cars, stays low to the ground and can end up inside your home.
Dry air can also be a problem in winter. Research suggests it may worsen sore throats and other respiratory problems. People also gather indoors more often during the winter, which can increase the risk of transmission.
Measures to help improve air quality:
- wipe the floors with a damp mop
- Vacuum frequently, preferably with a vacuum cleaner equipped with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to capture small particles
- Vacuum mattresses regularly and wash sheets weekly in hot water to kill dust mites
- Check all ventilation openings and air filters in the apartment and in devices, clean them as necessary
- clean the radiators
- Clean the lint tray every time you use your clothes dryer.
Cleaning improves mental health
Clutter can have a significant impact on your overall well-being and even mental health. The study found that people who described their homes as unfinished or cluttered experienced discomfort throughout the day, while those who said their homes were tidy reported feeling better.
What you need to do to clean up your home
- Declutter one room at a time. When it comes to winter spring cleaning, that might mean decluttering the kitchen before preparing holiday meals or making sure there’s plenty of storage for coats and shoes in the entryway.
- Don’t plan to remove everything at once. Try tackling a small area, such as reorganizing a couple of shelves in your pantry.
- Identify places where clutter accumulates. Ask yourself if you have storage options such as boxes, baskets or hooks that could help reduce clutter in these areas. If you find that the holidays bring a lot of decoration-related clutter, consider investing in clear plastic containers to neatly store extra decor and packaging during and after the holidays.
- Clean out your closet and prepare it for winter. If your clothing storage space is bursting at the seams, take the time to go through it and separate what to donate or throw away and what to keep. Prioritize keeping your closet stocked with items that you will wear during the winter and that actually fit you. Pack the rest, such as summer clothes, for long-term storage and remove them from the closet.
- Create a welcoming atmosphere. If you are expecting guests for the winter holidays, you should take care of their and your comfort. A clean, clutter-free space will help guests feel more relaxed in your home. If you clean before your guests arrive, you’ll have more time to relax after they leave.
Top ways to help your home feel neater and more welcoming:
- Clean out your refrigerator and pantry, throw away expired foods, clean interior surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner, and put food back.
- Clean and disinfect kitchen and bathroom trash cans
- Wipe down cabinets, especially handles, with an all-purpose cleaner.
- clean and disinfect bathroom and kitchen sinks
- vacuum under furniture and beds
- dust lampshades and bookcases
- Clean mirrors and windows with glass cleaner.
Spring cleaning and decluttering will help support your physical and mental health during the holidays, giving you more energy to do the things that matter most, like spending time with loved ones.
Keeping your home clean and tidy during the winter will also help you get started on spring cleaning.
