Half of Cleveland's houses were built before 1940, and Shaker Heights is a National Register district. How to clean plaster, old wood, original tile and pre-1978 paint without harming any of it.
Cleveland's housing is old. The Census puts the median build year inside city limits at 1941, with about 49 percent of homes built in 1939 or earlier. Those houses have survived because people cared for them, and the way they are cleaned is part of that care.
This guide covers the materials that show up again and again in Cleveland's older homes, the lead questions that come with them, and the habits that keep a century-old house looking its age in the good sense.
In the city of Cleveland, about 85 percent of homes were built before 1980 and about half before 1940. About 14.5 percent of units are in two-unit buildings, the up-and-down doubles that line so many East Side and West Side streets.
The inner suburbs follow a similar pattern. Shaker Heights has a median build year of 1945, with about 42 percent of homes built before 1940 and about 91 percent before 1980. Rocky River's median is 1962, and about 81 percent of its homes predate 1980.
Shaker Heights stands out for another reason. It was laid out by the Van Sweringen brothers as a planned garden suburb on former North Union Shaker land bought in 1905, and about 75 percent of the city is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Shaker Village Historic District. Its strict building codes have protected much of the original housing.
Any home built before 1978 may have lead paint somewhere under the newer layers, most often on window sills, trim and doors where friction wears it down. The City of Cleveland takes this seriously enough to require a Lead Safe Certification for every residential rental unit built before 1978, earned through a lead clearance by an independent certified professional and renewed every two years.
For cleaning, the rule is simple: damp methods only on painted surfaces, and nothing that abrades. Wipe sills and trim with a damp cloth, rinse the cloth often, and vacuum with a good filter rather than sweeping dust into the air. Do not scrape, sand or use abrasive pads on old paint. If paint is chipping or peeling, stop and call a lead professional; that is beyond any cleaning service.
Cleveland Water says some homes in its service area still have lead service lines or lead plumbing. It adds orthophosphate and keeps the water's pH above 7 to limit corrosion. That is a water question rather than a cleaning one, but it affects older kitchens in a practical way: faucet aerators collect sediment and should be unscrewed and rinsed from time to time.
If you are unsure whether your home has a lead service line, the utility is the place to ask. A cleaning visit will detail faucets on the outside and around the base; it does not test or treat water.
Plaster walls handle a damp cloth well but do not like soaking or scrubbing. Spot clean marks gently and dry them. Old hardwood often has a thin finish after decades of refinishing, so it wants a barely damp mop and no standing water, which matters in Cleveland's salt months when entry floors get wiped most.
Original tile in a pre-war bathroom is often sound, but its grout has been patched many times. A soft brush and a neutral cleaner protect it better than bleach or acid. Radiators gather dust between the fins all winter; a long, thin duster or a vacuum crevice tool reaches it.
In Shaker Heights' historic district and similar older streets, the details that make these homes special, from built-in cabinets to leaded glass, are also the ones most easily damaged by harsh products. Test anything new on a hidden spot first.
A One-Time Deep Clean is the right first step in most older homes. It will wash baseboards and trim by hand, wipe blinds, vents, fans and light fixtures in place, and detail old faucets, all with damp methods. A Recurring House Clean then keeps dust from settling in the many edges and moldings an older house has.
Landlords turning over a pre-1978 unit will usually want a Moving Clean before the city's lead clearance; the Cleveland move-out guide explains that order.
The questions Cleveland homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Cleveland 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.
