When the temperatures drop across Kankakee County and the furnaces kick on, we all start spending a lot more time indoors, elbow to elbow with the people (and germs) we share our homes and offices with. Cold and flu season in the Midwest has a way of moving through a household or a workplace fast, and the surfaces we touch most often are usually the ones we clean least carefully.
The good news is that a little focused attention on high-touch areas goes a long way. In this guide, you'll learn exactly which surfaces deserve extra care this season, how to clean and disinfect them the right way, and how to build a simple routine that keeps your home or business fresher without turning into a full-time job.
Why High-Touch Areas Matter More in Winter
Every home and workplace has a handful of surfaces that get touched dozens or even hundreds of times a day. Think doorknobs, light switches, faucet handles, and remote controls. During cold and flu season, these become the main highways for germs to travel from one person to the next.
Winter makes it worse for a few reasons that are very familiar to anyone living in Illinois or Newton County, Indiana:
- We're indoors more. Shorter days and cold weather mean windows stay shut and everyone gathers in the same warm rooms.
- Less fresh air circulates. Closed-up houses trap dust and germs that would otherwise disperse.
- Shared items get heavy use. From the TV remote during a snowstorm to the shared coffee pot at the office, high-touch objects work overtime in winter.
The point isn't to scrub every inch of your home daily. It's to be smart about where germs actually spread and to hit those spots consistently.
Cleaning vs. Disinfecting: Know the Difference
These two words get used interchangeably, but they do different jobs, and doing them in the right order matters.
- Cleaning removes dirt, dust, and grime from a surface using soap or detergent and water. It physically lifts away much of what's sitting there.
- Disinfecting uses a product designed to reduce germs on an already-clean surface. Disinfectants work best on surfaces that have been wiped down first.
Here's the key: disinfectant needs a clean surface and time to work. If you spray and immediately wipe, you're not giving the product its full effect. Always check the label for the "dwell time" (sometimes called contact time) and let the surface stay visibly wet for that long before wiping.
The High-Touch Checklist for Your Home
Walk through your house and you'll be surprised how many surfaces get constant contact. Here's a room-by-room checklist you can work through in a single pass. You don't need to do all of it every day, but during peak cold and flu season, aim for the whole list a couple of times a week.
Entryway and living areas
- Front and back doorknobs and deadbolt latches
- Light switches and dimmer panels
- Stair railings and banisters
- TV remotes, game controllers, and streaming device buttons
- Coffee tables and side tables where phones and drinks land
Kitchen
- Refrigerator and freezer handles
- Cabinet and drawer pulls
- Faucet handles and the sprayer
- Microwave and oven touchpads
- Light switches and the trash can lid
Bathrooms
- Faucet and sink handles
- Toilet flush handle or button
- Toilet seat and lid
- Towel bars and toilet paper holder
- Cabinet knobs and drawer pulls
Bedrooms and shared spaces
- Nightstand lamps and switches
- Closet door handles
- Dresser drawer pulls
- Phone chargers and cords people grab constantly
If someone in the house is already sick, add their bedside items, their bathroom, and anything they handle regularly to a daily rotation and keep their towels and cups separate from everyone else's.
A Simple Weekly Rhythm
Consistency beats intensity. A quick daily wipe of the busiest spots, plus a more thorough pass a couple of times a week, keeps germs from building up. If keeping that rhythm going through a busy Midwest winter feels like one more thing you don't have time for, our team can take it off your plate with recurring house cleaning tailored to how your household actually lives.
Speaking of taking things off your plate, if you'd like a hand this season, request a free quote and we'll build a plan around your home and schedule.
Don't Forget These Commonly Missed Spots
Even careful cleaners tend to skip a few surfaces that get touched all the time. These are the ones we see overlooked most often in homes around Bourbonnais, Bradley, and Manteno.
- Cabinet and drawer hardware. Every knob and pull in the kitchen and bathroom gets handled with unwashed or food-covered hands.
- The refrigerator handle. Possibly the single most-touched surface in the whole kitchen.
- Phones and tablets. These travel from room to room and rarely get wiped. Use a product safe for screens or a slightly damp microfiber cloth.
- Keys, wallets, and bags. They ride along everywhere and land on the counter the moment you walk in.
- Pet leashes and food bowls. Handled daily, cleaned rarely.
- Reusable water bottles and travel mugs. They go to work, to the gym, and back home again.
- Steering wheels and car door handles. Your car is basically a room you touch constantly.
You don't need a special product for most of these. Warm soapy water and a microfiber cloth handle the cleaning step, followed by an appropriate disinfectant where the surface allows.
Products and Tools That Actually Help
You don't need a cabinet full of specialty sprays. A few reliable basics do most of the work.
The Short List
- Microfiber cloths. They trap dust and grime instead of just pushing it around. Keep a stack and use fresh ones as you move from room to room so you're not spreading germs.
- A quality all-purpose cleaner. For the cleaning step before you disinfect.
- An EPA-registered disinfectant. Look for one labeled effective against common cold and flu germs, and always follow the contact time on the label.
- Disposable wipes for quick jobs. Handy for a fast pass on doorknobs and switches, but remember one wipe dries out fast and won't cover a whole kitchen.
Small Habits That Make a Big Difference
- Color-code your cloths so the bathroom cloth never ends up on the kitchen counter.
- Wash microfiber cloths in hot water and skip the fabric softener, which coats the fibers and reduces their grip.
- Read the label. Some disinfectants need to stay wet for several minutes, and some aren't safe for electronics or certain finishes.
- Ventilate when you can. Even cracking a window for a few minutes after cleaning helps clear the air.
A quick word of caution: never mix cleaning products, especially anything containing bleach with anything containing ammonia. The combination creates dangerous fumes. When in doubt, one product at a time, with good airflow.
Keeping Workplaces Healthier Through the Season
Offices, clinics, salons, and shops around our service area face the same challenge on a bigger scale. More people means more hands on the same surfaces, and one sick employee can quietly pass germs to a whole team through shared equipment.
Focus your workplace efforts on the surfaces that see the most traffic:
- Front door handles and push bars
- The reception desk, pens, and clipboards
- Shared keyboards, mice, and phones
- Break room appliances, the coffee maker, and the microwave
- Conference room tables and chair arms
- Restroom fixtures and paper towel dispensers
- Elevator buttons and stair railings
A midday wipe-down of the busiest touchpoints, on top of a thorough end-of-day clean, keeps things in check when foot traffic is heavy. For businesses that would rather have professionals handle it on a set schedule, our office cleaning service can keep your space consistently fresh so your team can focus on work instead of wiping down doorknobs.
We're proud to serve local businesses throughout the region, including plenty right here in Kankakee. If you run a storefront, clinic, or office, a reliable cleaning routine is one of the simplest investments you can make in a healthier season for your staff and customers.
Building a Routine You'll Actually Keep
The best cleaning plan is the one you'll stick with. Here's a realistic framework for cold and flu season.
Daily (5-10 minutes): Wipe the busiest touchpoints. Doorknobs, main light switches, faucet handles, the fridge handle, and any remotes or phones in heavy use.
A few times a week (20-30 minutes): Work through the full high-touch checklist, room by room, cleaning then disinfecting.
Weekly: Launder your microfiber cloths, restock supplies, and give commonly missed spots like cabinet hardware and phones a proper wipe.
When someone's sick: Increase the frequency, keep the sick person's items separate, and pay extra attention to their bathroom and bedside.
If that sounds like a lot to juggle alongside work, kids, and a Midwest winter, that's exactly where a professional cleaning team earns its keep. As a local, women-owned company, we build routines around real households and real businesses, and a portion of every clean supports breast cancer awareness, so your fresh home also does a little good.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I disinfect high-touch surfaces during cold and flu season?
For most homes, a daily quick wipe of the busiest touchpoints plus a thorough pass a few times a week is plenty. If someone in the household is sick, step up to daily disinfecting of the surfaces they use most. The goal is consistency rather than scrubbing everything constantly.
Do I really need a separate disinfectant, or is regular cleaner enough?
Regular cleaner removes dirt and lifts away a lot of germs, which matters more than people realize. To actually reduce lingering germs on a surface, though, you'll want an EPA-registered disinfectant used on an already-clean surface. Clean first, then disinfect, and give the product its full contact time.
Can you clean and disinfect around my family's schedule?
Yes. We know winter schedules are unpredictable, so we work around your routine as much as we can. Our regular hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm, with evenings and weekends available by appointment. Just ask and we'll find a time that fits.
Do you serve my town?
We proudly serve Iroquois County, Kankakee County, and Southern Will County in Illinois, plus Newton County, Indiana. That includes Kankakee, Bourbonnais, Bradley, Manteno, Momence, Watseka, Gilman, Beecher, Peotone, Monee, Manhattan, Wilmington, Kentland, Morocco, and Roselawn. If you're nearby and not sure, reach out and we'll let you know.
Ready for a cleaner home or workplace?
Clean in Pink is your local, women-owned and operated house cleaning team, licensed, bonded, and insured, and a proud member of the Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce. Let us help you stay ahead of cold and flu season with a cleaning plan built around your space. Call us at 877-754-5614 or request a free quote today, and enjoy a home or office that feels fresh, healthy, and ready for whatever winter brings.
