Five reasons why an autumn clean can help beat winter bugs
We’ve all heard of a spring clean, but an autumn clean? As autumn sets-in, and the nation retreats back inside with the central heating turned up high, it’s time to winter-proof your home against germs and bugs – and that means an Autumn clean.
And for those who are averse to donning the Marigolds and tackling a deep clean, here are five reasons why a thorough autumn clean can give you the best possible chance of staying fighting fit all winter long:
A decluttered house can have profound effects on your mental health – if you’ve been reaching for the BBQ instead of the vacuum all summer long, chances are that your house has started to fall victim to the dreaded piles of paperwork and abandoned belongings which the whole family have been avoiding.
Decluttering, sorting and throwing away will see you step into winter with a refreshed sense of space. This can have great benefits to your mental health, which in turn can have a positive knock on effect to your physical wellbeing
Your bed might not be as fresh as you think – washing your sheets every week is all good and well but what about your duvet, pillows and mattress? We expel on average 200ml in sweat and sheds hundreds of dead skins cells every night, not to mention the dust mites which can live in their thousands in unwashed bedding, duvets and mattresses.
A washable duvet, such as The Fine Bedding Company’s Spundown duvet that can be washed in a domestic washing machine at 60 degrees, the temperature that kills dust mites, can be laundered repeatedly without losing loft or warmth. Pillows too. And whilst you’re venturing between the sheets, why not start a weekly habit of vacuuming your mattress to reduce the risk of mites?
It’s probably been six months since your last deep clean – if you’re honest when was the last time you went beyond the weekly ritual of a vacuum and a dust, alongside the daily kitchen wipe down? Going beyond the surface clean and doing the jobs that you regularly avoid will help keep bugs away. Take a fresh look at your fridge and freezer and eliminate bacteria to avoid foodborne illness – throw away all out of date food, clean up spills and disinfect shelves to keep everything squeaky clean.
Your central heating can make you ill – we all love to be toasty and warm in the winter months, but your central heating can have a negative effect on your health, providing ideal conditions for dust mites, bacteria and mould and triggering respiratory conditions such as asthma.
A thorough clean to eliminate germs and dust will help keep you healthy when the heating is on full force, whilst regularly opening windows throughout the winter months to help air circulate will keep illness at bay.
Your carpet and upholstery could be harbouring dirt and bacteria – they may look clean on the surface but your carpets and sofa could be harbouring all kinds of dirt and bacteria which are just waiting to flourish when they air inside your home becomes warm and humid.
Give your vacuum an MOT by cleaning out the filters and parts to ensure that they are working as effectively as possible. The start of Autumn is also a good time to get your carpets and sofas professionally cleaned.
