The temperatures have dropped, snow is falling, and we’ve unpacked our cold-weather gear to prepare to stay warm and dry during another icy winter here in northeastern Illinois.

But think about it: Are you truly prepared for all the slushy mess and snowy slop that winter can bring? Is your home?

Rather than stay trapped inside a messy house, why not keep your home clean so you actually can enjoy winter and the additional time you spend inside?

Is your house ready for winter? And are you prepared to stay on top of seasonal cleaning so time spent at home when it’s cold outdoors is restful and pleasant? Here’s how you can keep your home clean and organized through the winter months.

Protect Your Floors

Salt and dirty slush tracked in from the outdoors can cause major issues on your floors. Moisture can stain and warp your wood floors, and salt, ice melt, and dirty snow can stain hardwood floors and carpets.

The best way to keep your floors safe from winter mess is to make your home a shoe- and boot-free zone. Leave shoes and boots in a boot tray to keep moisture, salt and dirt off your floors.

Doorways and entryways are especially vulnerable to damage during the winter, so make sure you have doormats set in and outside the door to remove any trace of moisture before you enter the house.

So what should you do if salt gets tracked into your home past the mats and boot trays you’ve carefully set out? You can use a vinegar solution or a  solution made with Borax to clean your non-hardwood floors.

And when winter starts to thaw? Your carpets may need a shampooing to look their best again.

Designate Spaces for Winter Weather Gear

If you live in the greater Chicago-land area, chances are each member of your family has piles and piles of winter weather gear and winter accessories: hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, thick fuzzy socks, slippers, earmuffs, boots, coats and vests. The list goes on and on.

It’s easy for these pieces to end up piled near the door or dropped throughout the house like Hansel and Gretel’s breadcrumbs.

Clear away cold-weather gear clutter by making it simple for even the youngest members of your family to put these things away next to the door. There are tons of organizational tips out there on how to store winter weather gear so you don’t have to search for a hat as you run outside.

To keep mittens and gloves from getting lost from their mates or being mismatched, it’s helpful to have a bin for each family member for all winter accessories. And keep hall closets clear of unnecessary coats and jackets so there’s plenty of room for each coat as your family returns home from a snowy day.

Winter cleaning doesn’t have to include endlessly picking up boots and hats off the floor if you have bins and hangers ready to go for all your family’s cold-weather accessories.

Stay On Top of Dusting

During the winter, you might notice an increase in the amount of dust settling in the corners and atop shelves in your home. This is because the air is so dry. Our skin gets dry, and dead skin cells mingle with loose fibers from wool sweaters and winter blankets for a combination ripe for making lots of extra dust.

And if you’re burning a fire in the fireplace to keep cozy? Chances are soot is floating around in your dust as well.

Winter cleaning must include lots and lots of dusting. A regular weekly dusting regimen will prevent all this extra dust from settling on tabletops and shelves, leaving your home looking dusty and dingy.

Not sure how to dust each surface? Martha Stewart, the queen of clean, has compiled a guide to dusting every surface in your home—and how to do it properly. Don’t forget to remove dust and fuzz from ceiling fans with a vacuum (with a HEPA filter), and work from the top corners of your ceiling down to the baseboards and floors.

Keep the Air Clean

You’re spending lots and lots of time inside, so you want to make sure the air you are breathing is just as clean as your freshly dusted bookshelves and baseboards. Clean air is as important as a clean floor, so don’t forget to change your HVAC filters.

In fact, the EPA recommends that you change your air filters at least once every three months, if not more frequently. To make that easy for yourself to remember, change your filters when the seasons change.

Since the air is so much more dry in the winter, you may find that your HVAC filter collects more dust in the chillier months. These filters work to pull all the dust out of your home so you’ll breathe easier, and you may find yourself dealing with less dust on floors and furniture if you do.

Looking for a bonus tip? Whenever you change your air filter, wipe down your dusty air ventilation covers with warm, soapy water, and let the especially dirty ones soak in your soapy water first. Your vent covers will look better, and your air will be cleaner.

Maintain a Clean Kitchen

Wintertime, especially during the holidays, can leave us eating nothing but crackers and cheese or leftovers from family feasts. Instead, feed your family healthy winter meals so you stay nourished and energized, even as the temperature plummets and all you want to do is stay inside.

Cooking healthy winter meals, though, can leave your kitchen messy, with dishes in the sink and spills on the stove top. And once that happens? It can be hard to motivate yourself to get back to cooking in the kitchen.

So the best way to keep your kitchen sparkling and your meal plan on track is to clean your kitchen as you cook.

How do you practice the art of “cleaning as you go?”

• Start with a clean kitchen.
• Load your dishwasher as you go.
• Put food back in the fridge as soon as you finish with it.
• Use parchment paper to prevent dirtying baking sheets and casserole dishes.
• Clean up your area between dishes.
• Prep all of your ingredients before you start cooking.
• Wipe up spills as soon as they happen.
• Soak pots as soon as you finish with them.
• Have a “scraps” bucket when chopping and cutting to contain the mess to one place.

Clear Out an Area for Winter Storm Supplies

When it’s cold outside, you have the perfect opportunity to clean out an overflowing closet and donate unnecessary items to your local charity or homeless shelter. An organized closet can leave you with a major sense of accomplishment and can make room for potentially life-saving supplies.

What to do with all your newfound space? Make sure you are prepped and ready for the next winter storm that hits with emergency winter storm supplies. The CDC recommends having the following items on hand for winter storm preparedness:

• A battery-operated smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector, with fresh batteries
• A dry-chemical fire extinguisher, especially if you plan to use your fireplace or a kerosene heater for warmth in the event of a power outage
• Warm blankets
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• An easy-to-read thermometer to monitor your home’s temperature, especially for older adults
• A first-aid kit, prescriptions and paperwork like important medical documents
• Power sources
• Bottled water

Don’t forget to clean out your pantry of expired items so you have plenty of room for a few non-perishable food items and extra bottled water in case of a power outage as well!

You should have supplies available that will last for at least 72 hours to ensure you are taken care of no matter the conditions outside.

… And Don’t Forget to Actually Enjoy Winter

Don’t forget that winter can be fun! With all the ice and sleet, it can be hard to remember sometimes that winter can be a great time to try new things and spend quality time with your family.

You can enjoy winter by working on projects around your home or catching up on your reading list. When you have more time to spend inside, you have time to finish winter cleaning, then relax.

What else can you do? After you clean your bathroom, take a deep soak in your tub or moisturize your dry skin with a face mask. Try a new craft after you organize your home office. Make a snowman, and then come in and warm up on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa or tea.

You can rest easy because you’ve had time to complete your to-do list.

But what if you are having trouble keeping up with all the dust, clutter and salt from the sidewalks? Try a professional house cleaning service. We can help!

Here in Illinois, we know the havoc that winter’s cold and snow can have on our homes. You’re spending a lot of time inside. Why not enjoy winter with a clean home?

Pass the vacuum and the duster over to us, and snuggle in with your family instead. Request a quote today, and give yourself the time to focus on what really matters.  630-544-7422