A cleaning calendar based on normals at Allentown International Airport and Penn State guidance: February snow, lingering March storms, a hot and wet July, lanternflies until hard freezes and stink bugs on warm fall days.
The Lehigh Valley has a full four seasons, and each brings its own housekeeping. This calendar follows the airport's 1991 to 2020 normals along with Penn State Extension's notes on local pests, so that each chore lands where it can do the most good.
Adjust as needed. A late March storm or an unusually dry fall will move things around, and your own house knows best.
January averages 9.8 inches of snow, February 10.8 and March still 6.3. The airport averages about 30 winter days with at least an inch on the ground and about 118 nights a year at or below freezing. Salt on the roads ends up in your home. Bethlehem, for instance, pre-treats its streets up to 48 hours before a storm.
Once snow is unlikely, wash baseboards near doors and check the sides of stairs where salt has splashed. Clear window tracks, which collect grit through the winter and any stink bugs that spent the cold months inside your walls. Penn State Extension says live and dead ones can be vacuumed up, and that insecticide indoors is not advisable.
This is a good time for a One-Time Deep Clean if you have put it off. See the deep cleaning guide for the scope. Households concerned with indoor air may also want to change filters now, since AAFA's report names indoor air quality as a concern in Allentown.
July is both the warmest and wettest month, with a normal high of 86.4 degrees and 5.30 inches of precipitation. About 18 days a year reach 90 degrees or more. Keep bath fans running and let shower stalls dry. Basements in older homes need a look now, too, and it is a good idea to keep stored items off the floor.
Adult spotted lanternflies emerge in July and stay active until hard freezes. Their honeydew feeds sooty mold on decks, patios and vehicles under affected trees, and Penn State Extension warns that those stains can be very difficult to remove. Rinse those surfaces early and keep shoes at the door to prevent sticky residue from reaching floors.
The brown marmorated stink bug was first collected in the United States right here in Allentown in 1998. It gathers on houses on warm fall days and can enter in large numbers. Check screens and vacuum sills regularly during this period. Leaves also begin to fall, and Lower Macungie Township's 2026 curbside leaf collection runs from the week of October 19 through the week of November 30.
Easton's farmers market, established in 1752, holds its regular season on the riverfront at Scott Park. Muddy shoes after a morning there, or after a trip to any of Lower Macungie's 26 parks, are worth a mat of their own.
Clear any last insects from window tracks and wash the sills before the heating season starts. A late fall deep clean or an Initial Deep Clean on a new plan can reset a home before guests come. Put your door mats back in place and buy what you need for sidewalks before the first storm.
Late fall is also when people notice indoor air again, as windows close for months. Dust vents and registers, and vacuum carefully around baseboard heat. The recurring guide can help you decide whether to change your schedule for winter.
The questions Lehigh Valley homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
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