What to clean and when in a Friendswood house, set to the area's real rain and heat normals, its two pollen seasons and the six months of hurricane season.
Seasonal cleaning advice written for snowy states does not fit Friendswood. Here the year turns on rain, heat, humidity, pollen and tropical weather instead. This calendar uses the 1991 to 2020 normals from Houston Hobby Airport, the Houston Health Department's pollen seasons and the National Hurricane Center's season dates to put each task where it belongs.
Hobby Airport normals show 55.62 inches of rain a year, with June the wettest month at 6.09 inches and October and September close behind at 5.78 and 5.76. The airport averages about 100 days at 90 degrees or more, with a normal August high of 93.5, and only about four nights at or below freezing, with a normal January low of 46.1.
Humidity rides along with the heat. Hourly dew point normals near Houston average about 72 to 73 degrees in June, July and August against about 44 in January. That gap is the difference between a bathroom that dries in minutes and one that stays damp for hours.
January is the driest-feeling month of the year, with dew points in the mid 40s. It is the best time for jobs that need things to dry: washing shower curtains and bath mats, airing closets, and cleaning window tracks before pollen fills them.
The Houston Health Department's tree pollen season runs from mid January through mid April. Through February and March, wipe window sills, patio door tracks and ceiling fan blades more often, change HVAC filters on schedule, and keep the doors closed on high count days. Once the season ends in mid April, a One-Time Deep Clean clears the film that built up on blinds, baseboards and light fixtures.
May is the turn into summer heat. Before it settles in, clean out the garage entry and laundry room, where damp towels and gym clothes will sit through the humid months.
June is the wettest month on the Hobby record, and the Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1. Set up mats inside and outside every door, and put together storm supplies early: trash bags, paper towels, cleaning wipes and a flashlight in one bin.
July and August bring dew points in the low 70s and an August normal high of 93.5 degrees. Run bathroom fans after every shower, leave shower doors open to dry, and wipe the refrigerator gasket and the base of the kitchen faucet often. Those are the first places mildew and film show up.
Hurricane activity peaks around September 10, with most of it between mid August and mid October. September and October are also the next wettest months after June. Keep gutters, entry floors and patio drains clear, and keep a photo inventory of each room current, which the City of Friendswood recommends for flood records.
The Houston Health Department measures cedar elm pollen again in September and October, and in mid October it has reported heavy weed pollen that was almost all ragweed, alongside 7,744 mold spores per cubic meter. That is the time to vacuum upholstery and mattresses, wash bedding in hot water and dust high surfaces.
When hurricane season closes on November 30, a fall deep clean readies the house for holiday guests.
December is mild in Friendswood, with freezing nights rare across the whole winter. It is a good month to clean inside kitchen cabinets and the pantry, wipe down the inside of the oven before holiday cooking, and catch up on anything the busy fall pushed aside.
If you plan to move early in the year, December is also the time to read your lease or start a moving checklist. The move-out guide covers the Texas deposit rule, and the recurring cleaning guide shows how to set a plan for the year ahead.
The questions Friendswood homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Friendswood 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.
