A month by month cleaning calendar for Austin homes, built on Camp Mabry climate normals, the Texas A&M cedar pollen timeline and city guidance on brush, embers and mosquitoes.
Austin does not have four neat seasons. It has a short, mild winter that happens to be its worst allergy season, a wet spring, a summer that runs from May well into September, and a second rainy spell in the fall.
The calendar below uses the 1991 to 2020 normals from the Camp Mabry weather station and local agency guidance to show what each stretch of the year does to a home, and what to clean when.
Texas A&M reports that Ashe juniper begins releasing pollen in mid December, peaks in mid January and tapers off toward early March. It is especially irritating west of I-35. This is the season for closed windows, a fresh HVAC filter and frequent floor and sill cleaning.
Winter is otherwise gentle. Austin averages about 12 nights a year at or below freezing, almost all between December and February, with a median first freeze around December 3 and a median last freeze around February 20. Normal snowfall is 0.2 inch and the normal January low is about 42 degrees. On the rare cold snap, wipe condensation from window sills each morning so it does not leave water marks on painted wood.
Once the juniper pollen fades in early March, it is a good time to wash the windows and screens it coated. Spring is also yard work season, and the City of Austin collects brush and bulk items up to three times a year for curbside customers, with on-demand pickups by request. Book one after you clear out the garage.
May is the wettest month on the normals at about 5 inches of rain. Put heavy mats inside and outside each door, keep a towel by the back door for dogs, and expect entry tile and grout to need more attention than usual.
Camp Mabry averages about 123 days a year at 90 degrees or warmer and about 29 at 100 or more, with normal highs near 97 in July and 98 in August. Homes stay sealed and air conditioned, so dust settles on ceiling fans, return vents and the tops of door frames. Wipe fan blades every couple of weeks and change filters on schedule.
Austin Public Health says mosquitoes are active most of the year, with risk rising in warm months. Drain standing water outside weekly, including plant saucers, pet bowls and toys left in the yard, since mosquitoes can breed in as little as a teaspoon.
Dry, hot weather also raises wildfire concern. Austin Resource Recovery warns that wildfires often begin near neighborhoods and that embers cause up to 90 percent of home fires during wildfires. Clearing dead leaves from porches and gutters and setting brush out for collection are part of the summer routine.
October is Austin's second wettest month at about 3.9 inches. After the summer, it is a good point for a deep clean: fans and vents have had months to collect dust, and wet weather means floors need a reset anyway. Book it before the holidays fill the calendar.
Late November is also the time to plan for cedar season. A clean house going into mid December holds up much better than a dusty one.
Austin gets about 36 inches of rain in a normal year, but it comes in bursts, and the city's hardest cleaning months are not the ones you might expect. Here is the short version:
The questions Austin homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
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