Beat Seasonal Depression with a Deep Clean

With the holidays in the rearview, January and February are some of the darkest and coldest months of the year for much of the US.  

For those working corporate jobs, this can mean you barely see the sun each day. You get to work before the sun goes up and leave after the sun has set. To compound the issue, some offices don’t have windows. 

 The lack of sunlight and natural vitamin D can lead to symptoms of seasonal depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), even in the most avid vitamin D takers, such as myself. 

Let’s face it: this time of year is tough for many of us.

But that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing we can do to make it a little more bearable. Taking a walk, keeping your space clean, and making time for work breaks to look out a window can help you stay a little more positive. 

When it comes to keeping your space clean, most people tend to avoid professional cleanings in winter for fear that the dirt and grime from winter will invade their homes again too quickly. 

We understand this concern, but there are some areas we consider pretty safe to clean during the winter. And you may find that this cleaning gives you a little boost of serotonin to help your mood stay more positive. 

Keep reading to see which surfaces make our “safe to clean in winter” list and why they make the cut!

Is It Worth It to Professionally Clean Your Home in the Winter? 

Before we talk about which surfaces are good for a winter clean, let’s talk about why you would clean these surfaces during this time in the first place. 

Indoor air quality is important to your health at any time of year, but it’s especially true when other factors, such as lack of sunlight, come into play in the winter months. In fact, it’s been proven that poor indoor air quality can negatively affect your mental health, causing symptoms like headaches and lack of energy. These are also popular symptoms of seasonal depression. 

In this way, keeping your air ducts clean will not only help you pinpoint the source of your symptoms but will also reduce your exposure to contaminants, which will likely be helpful for your mental health. 

The state of your floors and upholstery can also affect indoor air quality and your mood, as whatever is on your surfaces eventually gets swept up into the air ducts, further circulating contaminants. 

Ultimately, having a clean home tends to be linked to mental health improvements by reducing the chaos your brain takes in. In my own experience, it can seem like dirt and grime are everywhere in the winter months, and with the lack of sunlight, it often feels like the walls are closing in a bit. I always feel so much better after cleaning and having the space refreshed.    

One additional fringe benefit of cleaning this time of year is that it allows you to spread out your cleanings over a longer period of time so you don’t have to drop as much money at once in the spring and fall. 

What to Deep Clean in Winter

So, what are the best things to have professionally cleaned during winter? 

Upholstery

Upholstered furniture is a good place to start, especially if the furniture is situated far from where dirty shoes and pets come into the house. Usually, it’s pretty unlikely that dirty pets and shoes would touch upholstered dining room furniture, so this is an especially great thing to clean in the winter. 

Similarly, your mattress is likely protected by mattress pads, sheet sets, and comforters, so even if you wear shoes on your bed, the time of year shouldn’t make a difference in cleaning. 

Area Rugs

If you have area rugs that are further into the house and don’t take as much of a beating, you could also have those specific rugs cleaned, no matter the season.

Tile and Grout

Tile and grout in your bathroom shower or kitchen backsplash shouldn’t see any extra dirty foot traffic during the winter, making it another good thing to have cleaned during the winter for a little spruce. On the other hand, your tile and grout flooring could see a bit more winter dirt, but this will largely depend on whether or not you wear your shoes in the house. 

Air Ducts

Our top recommendation for your air ducts, outside of having them cleaned professionally every 3-5 years, is to install an in-duct air purifier. A build-up in your ducts is inevitable over time, but you can fight the contaminants that fester and become larger irritants in winter by having something in your ducts continually working against contaminant growth. 

Stanley Steemer has an in-duct air purifier, Restore, that will effectively fight those harmful compounds. It uses a carbon matrix that traps the compounds so that the UV light can break down the contaminants, leaving only water vapor and carbon dioxide to go back into your system.

All Flooring

Finally, if you’re a “shoes off at the door” family, it’s probably also safe to have most of your floors cleaned. The majority of the salt and grime you bring inside will stay by your front door or in the first room, whereas the other rooms can be refreshed whenever you want.

If you’re ready for a refresh on any surfaces from our “safe to clean in winter” list, call 1-800-STEEMER to schedule. You can also go online to our quote tool to get a FREE estimate and schedule today!