The Ultimate Winter House Cleaning Checklist

Winter is one of the best times to deep clean your home, and it might not be for the reason you'd expect.

Between hosting family for the holidays, digging through closets and the garage for decorations, and simply spending more time indoors as the days get shorter, winter naturally pulls you into corners of the house that don't get much attention the rest of the year. Here's a room-by-room checklist of the less obvious tasks worth tackling this season.

Bathroom

Clean the sides of your toilet. The inside gets cleaned regularly, but the area beneath the bowl and tank often goes untouched for months. Dampen a paper towel with a disinfecting surface cleaner and wipe it down, then dry with a separate towel.

Clean your toilet brush and holder. Soak both in a bucket with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water, or two to three cups of washing soda crystals, for several hours, then rinse and dry.

Clean shower curtain liners. If you're starting mold-free, a wipe-down with a bathroom cleaner should do it. If mold has already set in, you'll likely need something stronger, like bleach.

Kitchen

Disinfect your trash cans. This applies to every trash can in the house, not just the kitchen. Wipe them down with a 50/50 vinegar-and-water solution or hydrogen peroxide (never both together, since mixing the two creates a dangerous acid), or a multi-surface cleaner. While you're at it, swapping in a compostable trash bag is an easy upgrade.

Degrease your stovetop and oven exterior. Holiday baking season leaves behind more grease buildup than usual. A cleaning paste works well on baked-on grime without scratching surfaces.

Sweep behind and under appliances. Many ovens, refrigerators and other large appliances can be pulled out for cleaning. Check which of yours can move, then sweep and mop the newly exposed floor, prepared for the unexpected mess.

Entryway & Mudroom

Wipe down high-touch spots. Winter means salt, slush and mud tracked in daily. Bamboo wet wipes make quick work of doorknobs, boot trays and stair railings.

Clear salt residue from flooring. Left alone, salt stains can dull and damage flooring over a season. A surface cleaner cuts through the residue before it has a chance to set in.

Windows & Mirrors

With the sun setting earlier, every bit of natural light matters. Streaky windows and mirrors make a room feel smaller and darker than it needs to. A pass with glass cleaner is a quick way to brighten up a room during the darkest months.

Living Room & Bedroom

Vacuum the underside of furniture. Not underneath, the underside. With a second pair of hands, tip couches, loveseats and armchairs onto their backs and vacuum the bottom. Heavy pull-out couches and recliners can be skipped for safety.

Dust ceiling fans. As windows stay closed and fans pick up the air circulation slack, make sure blades are dusted and set to spin in reverse to push warm air back down.