Around here the season turns fast. One week you're still shaking prairie dust off the porch, and the next the windows are shut and the furnace is running. That change does something to a house that nobody really warns you about.
I am Lauren, and I clean homes for a living. I am also a mom of four girls, so I know exactly what a closed up house feels like by January. Here is the fall and winter plan I actually use, both in my own house and for the families we clean for around Pittsburg and Crawford County.
Winter cleaning is a different job
Summer cleaning is mostly about what comes in from outside. Winter cleaning is about what stays in the house, and about how much more of it you notice once the light goes early.
With the windows shut, the dust, the cooking smells, the pet hair and whatever you sprayed all stay in the same few rooms. Grit gets tracked in and never gets rained out of the driveway. The rooms that are bright in June go dim by four in the afternoon, so the corners you'd normally notice just sit there. And a sealed house holds moisture differently than one with the windows open, which is why the bathroom and the windowsills start asking for more attention than they did in August.
None of that is an emergency. It just means the plan changes with the season, which is why the fall list below looks different from a summer one.
The closed window problem
Here's the piece I wish more people thought about. In summer, a little scent from a cleaner or a plug in eventually drifts out the window. In winter it has nowhere to go. It settles into the curtains, into the couch, into the coat closet, and it's still there in February when you're already tired of it.
In a closed house, the smell you add is a smell you keep. That's the whole reason we clean with as many fragrance free products as we can get. A home that looks clean and smells like nothing at all is the result I'm after. Plenty of our clients notice it before I ever bring it up, and it's usually the thing that makes them switch.
I put the bigger picture in my non-toxic cleaning guide, and I broke down what is really in conventional cleaners along with how one word on a label can hide a whole list.
Your fall list, in order
Do these once, in October or early November, before the holidays get loud, and work from the top of the room down and from the outside in so you aren't cleaning the same shelf twice.
- Windows and screens. Take the screens out and wash them with soapy water and the hose. Do the glass inside and out while the weather is still kind enough to have the windows open.
- Fans, vents and the tops of things. Ceiling fan blades, the top of the fridge, the top of the cabinets, the range hood. This is the dust that falls on everything else all winter.
- Filters. Change the furnace filter, wash the range hood filter, and pull the lint out of the dryer vent. If you've never cleaned the dryer vent, put it on this list first.
- Bedding and blankets. Wash the blankets and the comforters that sat on the couch all summer, and flip or rotate the mattresses while you have the sheets off.
- The coat closet and the entry. Empty it, wipe the shelf and the floor, and decide what is actually coming back in this year. This closet is where all the winter smell starts.
- Porch and patio. Put away the summer furniture you aren't using, and sweep out the garage or the shed before the shovels come forward.
If you'd rather hand the whole list off, a deep cleaning is exactly this done in one pass, and it's the visit most people book in October. There's more detail on what that visit covers, and what it leaves out, in my deep cleaning guide.
The winter list
Winter isn't a deep clean. It's a rhythm. Keep these going every week or two and the house won't drift the way it does when everything waits for spring.
- The entry. Shake the mats outside, not inside. Wash the washable ones. Keep a tray or a boot mat right at the door so the wet and the grit stop there.
- The floor by the door. Salt and grit are hard on a hard floor. Sweep dry first, then mop, so you aren't grinding grit around with a wet head.
- High touch spots. Light switches, door handles, the fridge handle, remotes, the stair rail. A quick wipe with soap and water does the job.
- The bathroom fan and the windowsills. A sealed house holds moisture. Run the fan, and wipe the sills where the condensation sits.
- Vents and registers. Dust sits on them and then blows around every time the heat kicks on.
What I skip, and what I never skip
A lot of winter cleaning advice says to disinfect everything in sight once cold and flu season starts. I skip that step. In my experience, regular soap and water on the surfaces people actually touch does more good than a harsh product used all over the house. You can wipe a light switch without turning your kitchen into a hospital.
What I never skip is the boring safety stuff. Never mix bleach with ammonia, and never mix bleach with vinegar. Don't pour two cleaners into one bottle to save a trip. Run the fan or crack a window while you work in a bathroom, even when it is twenty degrees out. Rinse the rag before it moves from the bathroom to the kitchen. Those rules don't change in winter. What changes is how much more tempting it is to seal the house up while you clean.
Products that still work when it is cold
Nothing about winter changes what cleans well. It changes what you can stand to use in a room you won't open up for four months.
- Castile soap or a fragrance free dish soap for most everyday jobs.
- White vinegar and water for glass and hard water spots. Vinegar is acidic, so keep it off stone counters and anything sealed.
- Baking soda for sinks, tubs and anything that needs a gentle scrub without a harsh smell.
- Microfiber cloths. More of them than you think you need, so you're rinsing less and swapping more.
When you're shopping, read the back of the bottle, not the front. A label that says natural or plant based on the front can still hide a long list on the back, and in a house with the windows shut you're living with whatever is on that list. I'd rather carry in four things I understand than a dozen I don't.
A schedule you will actually keep
Pick one weekend in October for the fall list. Then put two small things on repeat: the entry and the bathroom fan. That is the whole plan.
Frequently asked questions
Should I clean more or less in winter?
Less deep cleaning, more small cleaning. One good fall reset, then a short weekly pass on the entry, the floors by the door, and the handles everyone touches. A closed up house shows dirt faster because nothing is moving the air along, so a little often beats a lot once.
How do I get the winter smell out of a closed up house?
Take the source out before you add anything. Wash the blankets and empty the coat closet. Air the house for ten minutes on a mild day. Clean the soft things that hold smell, like curtains and couch cushions. Then stop adding scent. A room that smells like nothing is a room that is actually clean, and it stays that way longer than a room with a plug in covering something up.
Is it okay to use scented cleaners if I like the smell?
That's your call in your own home. My only suggestion is to notice what that smell is doing by February. In a house with the windows shut, whatever you spray is still in the room weeks later. If you love a scent, use it somewhere it can move, like a bathroom with the fan running, rather than a bedroom you sleep in all night.
What is the best way to deal with salt and grit by the door?
Catch it before it spreads. A tray or a boot mat right at the door, mats shaken outside, and a bit more sweeping in the entry than in the rest of the house. On a hard floor, sweep dry first so a wet mop isn't pushing grit into the finish.
Do you offer a fall or seasonal deep clean?
Yes. A seasonal deep clean is the fall list in this post done in one visit, room by room. We clean homes and small businesses around Pittsburg and Crawford County, and every quote starts with a free walkthrough so we can see what your house actually needs.
If the thought of working through all of this yourself makes you tired, that's a normal way to feel by the end of October. That's what we're here for. Take a look at what we do, or call or text 620-408-3841 and we'll set up a walkthrough.