Bringing Warmth to the Winter Home

Once all of the #holiday celebrations are complete and the temperatures drop to single digits, you may struggle to create #warmth — real or perceived — in the home. The cold weather and empty social schedules of January may prompt you to enter a protective hibernation.

The cold-weather cultures of Scandinavia tell you to lean into that feeling through #hygge, the concept of warmth, comfort and quiet conviviality practiced when the weather outside is cold, blustery and otherwise inhospitable.

Hygge demands quiet comforts such as cozy sweaters and throws, casual get-togethers with friends and family, and plenty of hot meals and beverages such as coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Candles and a fire in the hearth only add to hygge’s #warm, golden glow.

Creating real warmth in winter may require a few #household fixes, however. The first thing to check is your furnace filter — if it hasn’t been changed recently, dust and dirt may be blocking heated air. Change it so that the heat travels to the vents efficiently and with fewer allergens.

Half the battle of staying warm in #winter is to keep the heat inside and the cold outside. Adding insulation, area rugs and a chimney flue blocker are simple ways to keep the warmth from escaping and save money on heating costs.

Other simple fixes include 10 home heating “hacks” from Better Homes & Gardens. They include insulating drafty windows with bubble wrap and sealing window frames with fresh caulk. To quickly warm the kitchen and create a homey atmosphere, fire up the oven and bake some cookies or braise a roast.

We at The Organizing Blog like to save energy and set our thermostats to 68°F throughout the winter. But we also have plenty of blankets and throws we can use to stay warm, some of which were #thrifted from stores supplied by generous #donations to ClothingDonations.org.

You can also generate #heat by staying active — getting on the treadmill, painting a room or thoroughly #decluttering and #organizing a space. After you #schedule a #donation #pickup for all of that extra #stuff, reward yourself by bundling up, pouring a hot beverage and relaxing.

There’s nothing like the warmth of a #clean, cozy and #uncluttered home. Follow a few of these tips to stay warm, whatever winter brings!

Disinfect While You Clean

With COVID-19, flu and RSV viruses running rampant this #winter, the goal for #cleaning is to combat germs, says Care.com — meaning what you really want to do is #sanitize and #disinfect to prevent the spread of disease. Address the high-touch areas of your home such as door handles, faucets, window sills, phones, toothbrushes and remote controls. Clean these items two or three times per week with disinfectant, paying special attention to bathroom sinks and toilets. “And don’t forget the light switches, towel racks, and any other handles or knobs,” says cleaning expert Bailey Carson. #WinterCleaning

Tackle Winter Cleaning Tasks Now

With the holidays over and lots of indoor time, now is a good time to complete #cleaning projects that help keep your space dirt- and allergen-free. Make a checklist, House Beautiful says, so you don’t miss any spots as you go room to room. Radiators and vents, windows and window treatments, bedding and upholstery, and rugs and carpets should be on the list since they are the biggest dust-catchers. And don’t forget to clean out the refrigerator, throwing out anything that’s expired or just unused. Do this ahead of your next trip to the grocery store, so you’ll have less to remove and replace. #WinterCleaning

Keep Snow, Ice and Mud Outside

It’s the season of snow, ice and mud in most of the country, and that means it’s more difficult to keep the home #clean. To keep the outside out, use two doormats with every exterior door — a bristly one for the outside and a more absorbent one inside. To keep floors completely clean of dirt and salt residues, establish a station just inside the door where family members and guests can take off their shoes and leave them off until they exit again. No matter how strict you make the rule, however, some dirt will find its way in, so put a deep cleaning of carpets and furniture on the agenda for the end of the season. #WinterCleaning

A Shoes-Off Policy Helps Keep the Home Clean

It’s a challenge to keep a home #clean when winter storms hits and people start to track in snow, ice, dirt and salt. To keep your floors pristine, institute a shoes-off policy inside the home an designate a basket to hold them when not in use, Real Simple suggests. Throw rugs, doormats and runners can help keep wetness and dirt confined to specific locations. If all else fails, create a makeshift mudroom by your home’s garage or backdoor entrance and equip it with hooks, bins, shelves and lockers for temporary clothing storage. The idea is to keep the #mess confined to an easily cleaned space.