Jacksonville's year in cleaning terms: tree pollen from late January, lovebugs in spring and late summer, a June to September rainy season with hurricane risk, and a short, mild winter.
Spring cleaning in Jacksonville does not start in spring. The tree pollen begins in late January, the heaviest rain lands in summer, and the gentlest stretch for a big household project falls between November and early January.
The calendar below follows the NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals for Jacksonville International Airport, the local tree pollen season and the University of Florida's lovebug dates. Use it to time the bigger jobs and to know what to watch for each month.
Jacksonville gets about 53.4 inches of rain in a normal year, spread over roughly 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June, at 7.60 inches, and September, at 7.56, are the wettest months, and June through September together bring about 28.8 inches. The airport averages around 80 days at 90 degrees or warmer, with July highs near 92.
Winter is short. January is the coolest month, with a normal high of 65.5 and a low of 42.9, and the city sees only about 14 freezing nights a year and no normal snowfall. That makes the cool months the most comfortable time for jobs that need windows up and doors propped.
Elm trees start releasing pollen in late January, well before most of the country thinks about allergies. Wipe window sills and screen frames, run a fresh air conditioning filter, and wash throw blankets and pet beds that sit near doors. Cool, dry days are a good time to clean outdoor furniture and porch ceilings before the heavier tree pollen lands on them.
By March, oak, river birch, bayberry and maple are in full swing, and North Florida's oaks and pines put a yellow layer on everything outdoors. Indoors, ceiling fans, vents and blinds catch what comes through doors and on clothing. Lovebugs fly from April into May, collecting on screens, porch lights and garage doors.
This is the season for a One-Time Deep Clean once the heaviest pollen has dropped. Fans, vents, blinds, window tracks and baseboards are where spring settles. Clean lovebug residue from doors and screens promptly, because UF/IFAS notes it can harm finishes if left to sit.
This is Jacksonville's wet season and the heart of hurricane season. Afternoon downpours bring wet sand and grass inside, and with highs near 92 in July the house stays closed and cooled. Bathrooms without windows dry slowly, so fans and squeegees do more work now than at any other time of year.
Late summer is also when the second lovebug flight comes through, from August into September. The memory of Hurricane Irma, which pushed the St. Johns River to a record 5.57 feet in Jacksonville in September 2017 and flooded Black Creek in Clay County to a record 30.52 feet, is a reminder to keep a storm kit and to know which rooms you would clear first. The storm season guide covers that in detail.
Once the rains taper off, the house can finally air out. This is the right point for a deep clean of floors, grout and entries after four wet months, and for washing curtains and bedding that sat through the humid season. Clear gutters and wash screens before the cooler weather, and check under sinks for slow drips that went unnoticed in summer.
December brings holiday guests and the lowest pressure on the house all year. A Recurring House Clean on a bi-weekly or monthly plan keeps things steady through the holidays, and the recurring cleaning guide explains how to switch plans by season.
One thing stays the same all year: JEA's hard to very hard water. Every month, every shower and every sink adds a little scale. Build a quick squeegee and wipe into the routine in every season, and see the hard water guide for the hardness level in your ZIP code.
The questions Jacksonville homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Jacksonville 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.
