How to keep your house clean and tidy this winter

With the weather being so wet in recent months it seems I am constantly trying to deal with piles of damp coats and muddy shoes. Add to that a daughter who does cross country (her shoe came off in the mud the other week!) and a son who likes to go on nature trails on the way home then you can imagine what this adds to the daily mess. So take some tips from today's guest post on how to keep your house in order at this time of year.

“Keeping your house clean and tidy is important at any time of the year, but winter brings its own specific challenges to any cleaning routine. Muddy footmarks over floors and heavy overcoats flung all over the furniture are just a few of the challenges that you'll be expected to overcome.

Make sure you're well equipped

The easiest way to cope with the extra dirt that winter seems to bring in its wake is to ensure that your cleaning store cupboard is well equipped. Whether you use commercial cleaning products, or simply make use of vinegar, lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda you are going to have to invest in some disposable gloves to protect your hands. Brosch Direct is a leading supplier of gloves and their products suit all types of cleaning.

Keeping wooden floors in order

Insist that everyone changes their shoes before entering the house. You can always put a tray by the exits to store wellingtons and other footwear so that they can always be found before anyone ventures outside. If someone does come into your home and manages to scuff your nice clean wooden floors, then cleaning guru Aggie Mackenzie, writing in The Daily Mail, suggests that you can remove scuff marks and scratches with a tea bag. Simply make a pot of tea and then dip a kitchen cloth into the water and rub over the affected area.

Coughs and sneezes

Winter is the time for coughs and colds. It's helpful to invest in wet wipes in order to keep kitchen and bathroom surfaces really clean. You should also remember to thoroughly clean telephones, computer keyboards and any other surfaces used regularly by the family in order to crack down on the spread of germs. According to this you should also be aware that ‘the flu virus lives longer when air is cold and dry.’ It's a good idea to invest in a humidifier in order to combat this problem. Remember to keep the humidifier clean as the last thing that you'll want to encourage is a build up of mildew and mould.

Cover your carpets

If you have carpets in your hallways and other high traffic parts of the house, you can cover these with a rug during the winter months. A cheap rug is far easier to clean than an expensive carpet. Try to rub your pets as they enter the house with an old towel that's been reserved for this purpose. This should cut down on mud and dirt being spread to chairs and sofas.

Invest in an additional coat rack

A lot of heavy winter wear seems to spend as much time falling to the floor as it does protecting the owner against the elements. If you have a specific sturdy coat rack fixed on the wall next to doors leading outside, you won't be cluttering up your existing hangers so there's less chance of coats and scarves falling to the ground when wet.”

Do you find it's harder to keep your house clean in winter? What are your tips for keeping the mess at bay?