Tag Archive for: winter cleaning

How to Create a Cosy Winter Home

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As the days grow shorter and the air turns cold, your home becomes the perfect place to unwind and stay warm. Creating a cosy winter home doesn’t mean making significant changes or investing in expensive updates. It’s about comfort, calm, and small touches that make every room feel inviting.

Here are a few simple ways to make your home feel warm, welcoming, and ready for winter.

1. Keep It Clutter-Free

A cosy home begins with a clear space. Tidy rooms create a calmer atmosphere, making it easier to relax. Focus on one area at a time, such as the coffee table, kitchen counters, or hallway.

Use small baskets or boxes to hide clutter, ensuring that everything has a designated place.

2. Add Warmth with Texture

Soft throws, cushions, and rugs provide instant comfort. Choose warm, neutral tones like beige, rust, or cream. Layer textures such as wool, fleece, and cotton to create snug and inviting seating areas.

3. Light It Right

Good lighting makes a huge difference in winter. Replace harsh white bulbs with warm light bulbs, and use lamps or candles to create a softer glow. Fairy lights in corners or around shelves add a touch of cheer without feeling over-the-top.

4. Bring in a Winter Scent

Scent can greatly transform the atmosphere of a home. Consider using candles or diffusers with aromas of cinnamon, pine, or another scent. For a natural alternative, simmer orange peel and cloves on the stove to create a gentle festive fragrance.

5. Keep on Top of Cleaning

A clean home always feels cosier. To maintain this atmosphere, wipe down surfaces regularly and dust more frequently during winter, as heating systems can circulate particles through the air.

Pay special attention to high-traffic areas such as the living room and kitchen, where your family spends most of their time.

If cleaning takes up too much of your time, consider using Merry Maids home cleaning services to help you keep your space fresh and comfortable throughout the colder months.

6. Create Spaces to Relax

Set up small zones in your home that make you slow down — a chair by the window for reading, a cosy corner with a blanket and tea, or a clear kitchen worktop ready for baking.

Your home should make you feel at ease. With small, thoughtful touches, it can be the perfect winter retreat.

To learn how we can help you maintain a clean winter home, find your nearest Merry Maids location to book a cleaning online or call 0800 021 3072 today.

5 Top tips for cleaning in winter

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When you think about cleaning, your mind might immediately jump to the spring. But the warmer months aren’t the only time you should be focused on cleaning. Winter is fast approaching, and with it are a host of season-specific cleaning considerations.

If this seems a little daunting, don’t worry. We’ve compiled a list of five things that you can do to get a head start on the housework this winter.

  1. Give your radiators a good seeing to

One of the most important things in the home during the winter is, of course, the radiators. We depend on them for warmth when the temperature starts to drop. So why not make sure you’re giving them the best treatment possible? During the year, dust will have accumulated around, and possibly even in your radiators, which will mean that they won’t be working to their full potential.

To combat this, there are a few things you can do:

  • Use your everyday cotton cleaning cloth and give the radiators a good wipe down. Make sure you get all around the radiator, including the top and bottom areas.
  • Take a long-distance brush, like a duster (if it’s extendable, that’s even better). Then move it in and out of the top vent to be sure that you’re getting as much of that pesky dust as you can. 
  1. Clean off that computer

Due to the COVID19 pandemic, something we are all more aware of is the process of cleaning and disinfecting our personal items like laptops and computers. With many still working from home, they have become more crucial in our day to day lives than ever before. But even when not working over the festive period, it’s important to remember to keep up the practice of thoroughly cleaning your devices – even if all you’re doing is snuggling up with a hot drink and a Netflix series.

Beyond wiping down your screen and keyboard, here are a couple of other things you can do to give your laptop/computer a good clear out:

  • Vacuum all of the visible air vents.
  • Spray a can of compressed air into your keyboard slots and vents to get rid of any dust and grime. As well as keeping it clean, this may also alleviate the stress on your computer’s fan and help stop the system from overheating.
  1. Shield your floors from mud

We’re all familiar with the fickle winter weather in the UK. The last thing you want is to get caught out by a surprise turn and end up trekking mud, or even snow, throughout the house. If you don’t already have them, we recommend investing in a few doormats in order to avoid bringing any germs, mud, and other debris into the home and onto your floors.

If you already have some, great! Another thing you can do is make sure you have somewhere off of the floor to store your shoes like a box or shoe rack. Or you could put down an old bit of carpet, some sheeting, or a shoe rug, and place them on there to create a barrier between any muddy soles and the floor.

  1. Clean out that ‘Chim Cher-ee’

When you think of a festive scene, one of the first things that comes to mind might be chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Whilst keeping your home nice and cosy this winter is a top priority for most, if you plan on doing this with an open fire, we recommend clearing your chimney – if you have one. This is because the dirt and chemicals that will have built up over the past year could turn into a fire hazard and potentially cause an influx of smoke into your home.

And no, don’t worry, it won’t be Dick Van Dyke coming round with his peaked cap and long brush to do it. The methods have improved since the Victorian era! Nowadays, technology and equipment are far more efficient.

  1. Keep your supplies clean

After all your winter cleaning, your house is likely looking spotless. But remember, to keep getting the same results every time, it’s important to make sure that you’re keeping your cleaning supplies in good nick too.

To do this, here are a few things you can do:

  • Fill your sink with hot, soapy water and put any sponges and cloths you might have used in for a good soak. Be sure to properly disinfect them too!
  • Vacuum any debris from your brooms or sweeping brushes, and disinfect your mop.
  • When this is done, give your vacuum a wipe down and empty it out or change the bag if you need to.
  • If your duster is detachable, you might want to pop it in the wash along with your cleaning cloths.

And if this all seems like a lot of work, but you still want to keep your home looking clean and pristine this Christmas, why not get in touch with us? Find your local Merry Maids UK here and get that same spotless shine every single time!