How to handle the grit and tracked-in mess from Annapolis tides, storms and ice, what the city says about flood-prone streets, and where a house cleaner stops and restoration starts.
Annapolis lives close to the water. High tide reaches the lowest streets in ordinary weather, and the city emergency office also lists hurricanes, tornadoes and winter storms among its hazards. For most homes, that means tracked-in grit rather than real damage. For some, it means more.
This guide is about ordinary cleanup in a sound house, and about knowing when a job is bigger than that. TotalCare Cleaning will not do restoration work, and this page explains where that line falls.
The City of Annapolis says high-tide nuisance flooding is most common from March to September, and Maryland requires the city to update a nuisance flood plan every five years. The city identifies downtown Annapolis and the City Dock area as the lowest-lying land, with Compromise Street also named. Its analysis of Naval Academy tide gauge data counted 194 hours of flooding downtown in 2020, with an increasing trend from 2016 to 2019.
Eastport has its own history here. The city names Second Street in Eastport among flood-prone streets, and it notes flash flooding around Eastport, Annapolis Harbor and Spa Creek. If you live in one of those areas, water on the street is a routine possibility and not only something that comes with a major storm.
The Annapolis Office of Emergency Management lists floods, heat, hurricanes, tornadoes and winter storms, including ice storms and freezing rain, as local hazards. Those call for different preparation, though a few habits cover most of them. Keep important papers and electronics up off the floor. Keep flashlights and a radio easy to find. If you have a basement or a ground floor storage space, use shelving rather than stacking boxes on the floor.
Winter deserves its own note. The city applies deicing agents to streets, and it notes that the thawing power of salt drops sharply below 20 degrees. Owners and occupants must clear their own sidewalks soon after snow stops, or by 11 a.m. if it stops overnight. Those treated walks and streets are the main source of the white film you find on entry floors.
If the water stayed outside, the job is about what comes in on your shoes. Tidal water can leave a fine grit, and it can carry whatever was on the street. Leave shoes at the door, and put down a mat you can wash. Sweep or vacuum entry floors first, then damp mop with a mild cleaner, changing the water when it looks dirty. Wash your hands afterward, and keep children and pets from walking through it.
Check the bottoms of doors and the corners nearest the street. If you find any moisture, dry it out quickly with fans. A small amount of damp at a threshold is ordinary maintenance. A wet wall or a soaked floor covering is a different matter, and it calls for the steps in the last section below.
Wind and heavy rain force fine grit in around windows and doors. Use a damp cloth or a soft brush on window tracks and sills, then vacuum what remains. Look for wet ceilings, damaged flashing and broken glass before anything else. If glass did break, wear shoes and gloves, and pick up the larger pieces before vacuuming.
After a long outage, the kitchen comes first. Throw out food you are unsure about, wipe the refrigerator shelves with mild soap and water, and let them dry before restarting. Heat makes that worse, and the city lists extreme heat among its hazards, so a long outage in July is especially hard on a closed house. Once power is back, change the air filter if dust got in, and run the fans.
House cleaners, including TotalCare Cleaning, will not do flood or storm restoration. Standing water, wet drywall, mold, sewage and storm debris are all out of scope, and they need a qualified restoration company. Call your insurer first if you plan to file a claim, because they may want photos before anything moves. Floodwater is not clean water, so be careful around it.
Once a home has been dried and repaired, a One-Time Deep Clean can be a sensible final step. It deals with the fine dust left on baseboards, blinds, window tracks and vents after contractors have finished. Let them remove their own materials first, since cleaners will not haul debris or construction waste. In an older home, also remember that repair work can disturb old paint, so ask your contractor about that. About 60 percent of city homes predate 1980.
The questions Annapolis homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Annapolis and surrounding areas with background-checked cleaners and is insured up to $1 million. Re-clean guarantee: if we missed something, tell us by the end of the next day and we come back to fix it. Beyond Clean. TotalCare.
