The first day of winter technically isn’t until the 21st, but it already feels like winter here! The time in-between or at the start of a new season is a critical time when it comes to caring for your home. Start working on your home too late and you may give up halfway through, as you’d rather be spending your time enjoying the holidays! So before it’s too late, take a look at this Winter Cleaning Checklist and get the matching printable!
You don’t have to tackle this cleaning checklist alone! When the kids are on break, why not ask them to help out with some of the simpler tasks?
Winter Cleaning Checklist + Free Printable
A good winter cleaning checklist shouldn’t just be full of all the stuff you always do when you clean. It should include season specific deep-cleaning tasks, to really ready your home for cold weather, and for guests! But just in case you don’t have the time to super-clean your home right now, I’ve split this winter cleaning checklist up into basic cleaning tasks and deep cleaning tasks. You probably do many of the basic cleaning tasks weekly, so they should be quick to finish up. Complete all the basic cleaning tasks as soon as possible, then work your way through the deep cleaning ones as you have time.
You can of course clean the rooms of your home in any order that you like, but when it comes to within each room, I always recommend going from top to bottom. That way you’re not brushing dust down onto a freshly vacuumed carpet!
Basic Winter Cleaning Tasks
Dust ceiling fans.
Change ceiling fans to run in reverse (clockwise). This will help push warm air down.
Vacuum floors/wash floors. And don’t just vacuum/wash around things, get under things (especially in the kitchen where food crumbs can be hiding).
Wipe down door knobs with disinfecting wipes.
Wipe down light switches with disinfecting wipes.
Wash walls if you can- test in a small area first. Some paints (especially flat), may wash right off if water touches them.
Dust/wash baseboards (dusting may be more appropriate if your baseboards butt up against fragile paint).
Dust everything else. Don’t forget things on top of high surfaces, or under low ones! Even things that are used often, like keyboards and garbage cans, can always benefit from a good dusting!
Clean your vents.
Wash windows.
Vacuum and/or wash drapes.
Wash rugs.
Wash bedding (don’t forget the pillow forms, mattress covers, and dust ruffles).
Clean bathroom counters and mirrors.
Clean toilets.
Scrub bathtubs and showers. If your showers have tile, don’t neglect the grout!
Wash shower curtains.
Winter Deep Cleaning Tasks
Disinfect keyboards and computer mice.
Clean computer monitor screens. Be careful to use a safe cleaner, as things like alcohol-based cleaners or ammonia can be damaging on certain screens.
Clean TV screens. Again, use a safe cleaner.
Wash garbage cans (especially the kitchen one).
Empty the toaster’s crumb tray.
Clean appliances.
Wash kitchen cabinets.
Wash kitchen countertops. Don’t use citrus or otherwise acidic cleaners on porous countertops like marble!
Clean your microwave.
Clean the oven vent.
Clean inside the oven. If it has a self-clean mode, winter is a great time to use this, as it’ll warm up the kitchen! If that doesn’t clean your oven well enough, or your oven doesn’t have that feature, you’ll have to clean your oven by hand.
Scrub your sinks.
Wash kids’ toys. Many toys can be washed in either the washing machine or dishwasher.
Flip/rotate mattresses.
Clean your dryer and its vent.
Polish wood furniture.
Clean/condition leather furniture.
Change your furnace’s filter.
Clean your fireplace.
Clean the garage floor.
Dust often-used areas of the garage (tool bench, laundry area, etc.).
Printable Winter Cleaning Checklist
If you can do all the tasks above, your home will be sparkling clean! And spring cleaning the following year will probably go by pretty quick (since some of the tasks overlap). So that’s a win-win!
To make it easy for you to keep track of what winter cleaning tasks you’ve done, and what you have left to do, I’ve created a free printable winter cleaning checklist for you! I’ve also included some blank spaces for you to possibly write in other tasks that are more specific to your home.
Download Your Free Printable Winter Cleaning Checklist Here
Tack your printable up on the fridge or put it in your home management binder so you won’t lose it!
Do you usually do a winter deep clean?
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