The Only Winter Cleaning Checklist You'll Need!

It’s that time of year again—not spring cleaning, but the winter cleaning that usually takes place around the holidays.

Whether you’re expecting family for the holidays or just want to get ahead on your spring cleaning while home, I’m sure my winter cleaning checklist will help keep you focused and on task.

This winter cleaning checklist will help you prep for pre-winter house cleaning and give you ideas for those winter deep clean tasks you may have on your mind. Let’s get started!

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Pre-Winter

Some seasonal cleaning tasks are best done before it’s really cold! Here is a winter cleaning checklist you can use to keep your home clean that isn’t too invasive.

Wash and Disinfect Garbage Cans and Wastebaskets

Garbage cans and wastebaskets can contain a variety of germs and bacteria, which is why it is important to keep them clean and sanitized. Garbage cans should be washed regularly with hot soapy water, disinfected with appropriate cleaning products, or scrubbed well with bleach and water.

Winterize Your Entryway

When winterizing your entryway, a little preparation can go a long way. Investing in boot trays and coat racks allows your guests to come inside, quickly transition outdoors to indoors, and get their heavy boots and shoes off so they don’t end up walking all over your floor! Boot trays eliminate any debris that guests may track into the house and provide a space for them to take off their boots.

Plus, the guest coats will have an easily accessible place to hang when they are not wearing them; doing this keeps your house nice and tidy and saves time looking for your guests coats when it’s time for them to leave!

Change Furnace Filters

Regularly replacing the filters in your furnace is vital to maintaining home air quality and energy efficiency. Air filters help keep the air clean by trapping airborne dust and allergens, which can accumulate over time.

Additionally, when filters are clogged with dust accumulation, ventilation systems must work harder to push air through, resulting in poor air circulation AND increased energy costs.

Touch Up Paint

Touch-up paint is an easy and affordable way to restore damaged surfaces. Whether you’re looking to repair a minor scratch on your car or freshen up the walls of your home, touch-up paint offers a quick solution.

Wash Walls

Washing the walls of your home can bring a fresh and bright new look without super deep cleaning. Begin by giving your walls a once-over using a vacuum cleaner. Once finished, use a damp cloth and mild detergent to ensure dirt and dust are removed. (This is a great paid chore to offer your older kids)

Wash Rugs

Keeping rugs clean is integral to home maintenance. When it comes to washing rugs, it’s essential to consider the type of material they are made from before getting started.

While certain rug varieties need only a simple spot cleaning, others may require professional treatment to remain in top condition. In any case, you should typically vacuum rugs at least once a week.

Clean and Reorganize Closets

The winter cleaning months are a great time to clean out and reorganize closets before the warmer months of spring and summer arrive. Clearing out space can help to de-clutter your life, maximize closet storage capacity, and give you an early start on purging unnecessary items before the new season arrives.

Additionally, scheduling a deep cleaning of closets in the winter helps conserve energy while minimizing dirt and dust during allergy season. It also gives you the opportunity to see what clothes still fit your kids and what items you need to stock up on when sales pop up!

During Winter

Winter cleaning can involve more deep cleaning tasks. Here is a helpful checklist to make winter cleaning easier and help prepare you for the spring cleaning checklist that lies ahead!

Wash and Disinfect Toilet Brush Holders

Toilet brush holders harbor germs, so it is important to wash and disinfect them regularly to keep your whole bathroom clean.

Start by taking the holder apart (if possible) and washing all pieces with soap or detergent. Add a cup of warm water, one cup of vinegar and one cup of baking soda in a container.

Let the brush holder and parts sit in the solution for at least an hour. Then, rinse everything off, and dry the brush parts thoroughly before reassembling the holder.

Turn Over Furniture and Vacuum the Bottoms

Turning over wood furniture and vacuuming the bottoms is an often-overlooked task on a cleaning checklist for your living room. It may be tedious, but removing pet dander, dust, and debris accumulating under furniture is essential. The process takes little time, so pull the furniture out and get it done.

Thinking of new upholstery for some of those worn-out pieces? Now would be a great time to start prepping for that DIY project! This is also a good time to do some deep cleaning for your couch. Life the cushions and using a vacuum or hand held, vacuum up everything you find.

Clean the Tops of Doors, Trim, and Artwork

Dusting the tops of doors, trim, and artwork may seem like arduous tasks, but it pays off in the long run, which is why it’s on the winter cleaning checklist.

These areas are easily cleaned with a microfiber cloth and some water. Wipe top surfaces and ledges to keep these areas free of dust all winter long.

Vacuum Behind the Fridge

This area accumulates a lot of debris, which should be cleaned during winter cleaning. Pull out the fridge and vacuum the floor and area behind the appliance. While there, make sure to throw out any expired food.

Clean Ceiling Fan Blades

Winter is the perfect time to wash ceiling fans. You can use microfiber cloths and water for this simple task by wiping the surfaces of the blades free of debris with a damp cloth.

Clean Vents

Cleaning vents during winter is a great idea. You can easily scrub away dirt and grime with a spray bottle of your favorite cleaning solution and some lint-free cleaning rags.

As you clean, this is also a good opportunity to add testing smoke alarm batteries to your winter cleaning checklist.

Wash Baseboards

I add baseboards to every winter cleaning checklist. For a deep clean, I use a microfiber towel and soapy water to wipe away dust and debris. Cleaning doesn’t take long, and my house looks better afterward without pet hair and flyaway dirt lingering on the boards.

Go Through Your Pantry

Getting rid of expired food and giving the pantry a deep clean is a must on my winter cleaning checklist. Rid your pantries of anything old, and vacuum clean inside for a fresh pantry!

If reorganizing is on your mind, this will give you ample opportunity to plan out new shelving or containers.

Clean Dishwasher

A good addition to our winter cleaning checklist, tasks like this are easy. You can disinfect your dishwasher by spraying hydrogen peroxide directly into it, letting it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe it clean.

Clean washer and dryer

Start the washing machine while it is empty. Add 2-3 cups of vinegar to warm or hot water as it fills up. Close the lid after it fills, and let it run a full cycle with just the vinegar and water. You can also use one of these washing machine cleaning tables to give it a good clean. Wipe out the inside and outside of the machine (including windows) once the cycle is finished with a lint-free or microfiber cleaning cloth.

Next, wash the door, windows, and drum of your dryer thoroughly with 50:50 ratio of vinegar and water. Be sure to wipe around the seal with a sponge or cloth. On an empty, hot cycle, run the dryer for ten minutes. Presto!

Wash Shower Curtains and Shower Doors

If the bathroom has poor ventilation or otherwise frequently sees mold or mildew, shower curtains and doors should be washed at least seasonally. Spray your shower curtain every day with a solution of half water and half vinegar to prevent mildew.

Clean under beds

The most important tasks on our winter cleaning checklist; not only should you clean under the beds, but you’ll also want to do the following…

Wash bedding
Wash Pillows
Clean Windows
Vacuum Curtains
Wash Floors
Clean light switches and dust light bulbs

If you have kids like me, most of this job might be gathering toys and other junk that has accumulated underneath. It’s best to do this during winter before your time is spent on harder jobs later as the seasons change. I like to get everything off the floor(the kids do this) and use our iRobot Roomba vacuum to thoroughly clean the floor, it does a really nice job and saves me from doing it.

Clear Cobwebs

It’s a must-have task for any winter cleaning checklist. It’s time to grab a vacuum with a hose attachment or a broom and start clearing out cobwebs. These are usually found in corners and under fixed items you normally don’t reposition often, like end tables.

Deep Dusting

Any area of the home you haven’t cleaned by this point in the winter cleaning checklist you’ll want to handle here. Windows, light fixtures, and even stair banisters need to be cleaned.

Notable Mentions

While you may want to add this to a spring cleaning checklist, don’t forget to clean gutters at some point! Snow might prevent this from happening now, but it should be a priority. If you need professional help, most gutter cleaning companies provide a free estimate. The same can be said for pressure washing driveways and any deep carpet or rug cleaning.

The Only Winter Cleaning Checklist You’ll Need!

Pre-Winter