What to clean and when in Lansing, using airport climate normals: heavy January snow, a May 1 median last freeze, wet early summers and humid July and August.
Lansing has a wide swing between seasons. Normal monthly average temperatures run from 23.9 degrees Fahrenheit in January to 71.8 in July, about 8 nights a year fall below zero and about 9 days reach 90 degrees or hotter. A house goes through a very different life in each stretch of that range.
This calendar uses local normals to decide what deserves attention in each part of the year. Any one year will run early or late, so treat the months as a guide.
Airport normals for 1991 to 2020 show 50.2 inches of snow a year, with 14.3 in January, 12.9 in February, 11.3 in December and 5.9 in March. Precipitation totals 33.33 inches, with June at 3.76, May at 3.66 and August at 3.48, while February is the driest at 1.71. So the snowiest stretch and the wettest stretch sit on opposite sides of the year, and each makes a different mess.
The median last spring freeze is May 1 and the median first fall freeze is October 13. Those dates mark a rough line between the months when a house stays sealed and those when doors and windows get used.
These are the months of boots. The airport averages about 66 days a year with at least an inch on the ground, and salt and sand follow you inside. Put a coarse mat outside each door and an absorbent one inside, keep a tray for wet boots, and sweep entries often.
With about 53 days when the high stays at or below freezing, the windows stay shut and the air stays dry. Dust settles on fans, vents and blinds, and it stays there. Wipe those down midwinter, and change your furnace filter on schedule. The winter cleaning guide has more detail.
March still averages 5.9 inches of snow, so it behaves like winter with more mud. This is the time to deal with salt residue along baseboards, wash mats and clean out door tracks. Storm doors and window sills often show the winter's grit once the light improves.
By April, a deep clean starts to make sense. Heating season is winding down, and the house can be reset before the wetter months. DeWitt's spring brush pick-up, usually in the second or third week of April, is a reminder of how quickly yard work takes over, and yard work means more dirt coming in the back door.
The median last freeze falls on May 1, so windows start to be used again. Wash blinds and screens around this time, since air moving through a dusty screen brings the dust with it. May and June together bring over 7 inches of rain on average, which means wet shoes and muddy paws, so entry mats stay in rotation.
This is also a good point to look at bathroom fans. Summer moisture is on the way, and a fan that barely moves air will leave grout and caulk damp for longer.
Hourly normals show a mean dew point of about 60 degrees in July and August, up from 18 to 19 in January and February. Bathrooms and basements take longer to dry, so run fans, squeegee the glass and keep the grout on a steady schedule.
The Board of Water & Light notes that hardness can run higher in summer, when harder wells are used, so film on faucets may show up faster in these months. It suggests white vinegar for calcium at the faucet, with the usual caution about stone and plated finishes. August brings the last of the wet weeks, at 3.48 inches.
The median first freeze falls on October 13. Before then, clean window tracks and wash the screens you are about to take down or close off. Wipe down fans, vents and blinds so the dust is not sitting there for the months ahead.
Leaves come next. Local rules differ between communities, as DeWitt and Grand Ledge each handle yard waste in their own way, so check with your own city. Inside, the job is the same anywhere: mats, sweeping, and a thorough clean before the first snow settles in. Some people like to do this just ahead of the holidays.
The questions Lansing homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
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