A month by month cleaning plan for Baltimore homes, built from BWI climate normals, University of Maryland Extension pest and pollen notes and the city's own storm history.
Baltimore gets all four seasons, and each one dirties a house in its own way. Winter brings salt and grit, spring brings a long pollen season, summer brings damp air, and fall brings insects looking for a warm place to spend the cold months.
The calendar below groups the year into five stretches and lists what to focus on in each. The numbers come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Baltimore Washington International Airport, the closest official long-term record for the city.
These are the cold months. BWI averages about 24 nights at or below freezing in January alone, and February is the snowiest month, with a normal of about 7.5 inches. Windows stay shut, so dust and cooking smells stay in, and every trip outside brings salt and wet grit back across the threshold.
Focus on the entry, the stairs and the kitchen. Put a boot tray inside the door, mop salt rings with warm water before they dry white, and vacuum radiator tops and vents, where dust collects when the heat runs all day. Baltimore DPW notes that road salt can even raise sodium in the water supply, which shows how much of it goes down on the streets.
University of Maryland Extension describes the Mid-Atlantic spring as long, with layers of pollen that coat car windshields. Indoors it settles on sills, window tracks, porch furniture and dark floors near the door.
This is the season for a top to bottom reset. Wash window tracks and sills after vacuuming them dry, wipe ceiling fans before switching them on for the first time, launder curtains, and clean screens before you open windows. A deep clean late in this stretch, after the heaviest pollen, lasts longest.
July is the hottest month, with a normal high of about 88.8 degrees at BWI and about 34 days a year at 90 or hotter. NOAA's hourly normals put the July dew point around 63 to 68 degrees through the day, and July is also the wettest month in the normals, at about 4.5 inches of rain.
Bathrooms and basements are the priority. Run exhaust fans after showers, wipe shower glass and grout regularly, and keep basement floors clear so they dry. Cleaning keeps surface film off tile and fixtures; any growth that spreads into walls or flooring is a moisture problem for a specialist. Late in the summer, ragweed pollen starts, and University of Maryland Extension names it the main cause of hay fever.
Early fall is when Baltimore's worst flood in recent memory struck. Hurricane Isabel in September 2003 pushed storm surge up the Chesapeake Bay, and more than 570 Baltimore homes were declared uninhabitable from flooding. The city also maps waterfront areas prone to nuisance, or high-tide, flooding. If you live near the water, keep the basement and ground floor clear of stored boxes and rugs in these months.
Fall is also insect season indoors. University of Maryland Extension says brown marmorated stink bugs push into homes seeking shelter and multicolored Asian lady beetles gather in attics, basements and living areas. Vacuum them up rather than crushing them, since lady beetles leave a yellow-orange stain on walls and fabric.
December averages about 20.6 freezing nights at BWI, and the heat comes on for good. Before guests come, clean light fixtures and ceiling fans, dust bookshelves and trim, and wash the kitchen cabinet fronts where a year of cooking grease has settled. It is also the time to clear out a closet or basement corner: Baltimore City collects up to three bulk items a month on a set Saturday when booked through 311 at least four working days ahead.
Precipitation at BWI is spread fairly evenly, about 45 inches a year with every month between roughly 2.9 and 4.5 inches, so there is no dry season to wait for. A steady bi-weekly Recurring House Clean handles most of the year, with extra attention in spring pollen and fall insect season. Winter homes can read the winter cleaning guide for more on salt and slush.
The questions Baltimore homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
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