A month by month cleaning plan for Brookfield and the west Milwaukee suburbs, built from NOAA normals, state health guidance and the local calendar of leaves, storms, snow and fall insects.
Weather in southeast Wisconsin swings from a January average of about 24 degrees to a July average above 73. Each stretch of the year brings a different kind of dirt into the house, so a cleaning plan that ignores the calendar always feels one step behind.
Here is the year as a Brookfield household lives it, with what to clean, when, and why. It works as a checklist whether you clean yourself or use a plan when TotalCare Cleaning comes to the area.
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for Milwaukee give the frame. Snowfall averages 48.7 inches a year. January is the coldest month, with a daily mean of 24.0 degrees and an average low of 17.2. July's daily mean is 73.3 degrees, and the year brings about 34.57 inches of precipitation, most of it from thunderstorms between May and September. Relative humidity sits near 70 to 75 percent through June, July and August.
Tornado season in the area runs from late March to early June. None of this is extreme by Midwestern standards, but it does mean a household moves through four distinct cleaning seasons with very little overlap.
These are the snow months, and the main job is the entries. Wisconsin's health department tells households to keep sand or deicer on hand for icy walks, and every bit of it tracks inside. Mop entry tile and the first few feet of hardwood often, and wash the boot tray weekly so salt water does not sit against the baseboards.
With the furnace running hard, dust settles fast on vents, fan blades and the tops of door frames. The state health department advises changing furnace filters monthly through heating season. Do it on the first of each month and the dusting stays ahead.
The thaw turns salt and sand into mud, and that is the right moment for one big clean of the entries, the basement stairs and the carpets nearest the doors. Tornado season starts in late March, so it is also a good time to clear and tidy the basement or interior room where the family would shelter.
As trees bud, pollen starts settling on sills and outdoor furniture. Wisconsin's health department notes that longer growing seasons are raising pollen levels, and it advises keeping windows closed on bad air days. Wash window sills and screens once the pollen starts, and plan a deeper clean for the end of the snow.
Summer humidity near 70 to 75 percent means bathrooms and laundry areas dry slowly. Run fans after every shower, leave the shower door ajar to dry, and keep grout on a regular cleaning cycle. Dew points near 60 degrees in July and August make basements feel damp, so a dehumidifier pays for itself.
Thunderstorms bring most of the year's rain in these months, and heavy storms can push water into low spots. Check the basement after each big storm. On bad air days, when wildfire smoke drifts in from far away, keep windows shut and wipe sills afterward.
Summer is also the season for Brookfield Days at Wirth Park in June, the beach at Fox Brook Park and weekends on Pewaukee Lake. Sand, sunscreen and wet towels all come home with the family, so a quick daily reset of the entry and laundry area goes a long way.
Fall is the busiest indoor season for insects. UW-Madison Extension says boxelder bugs move into Wisconsin homes as the weather cools and spend the winter inside walls and attics, and that multicolored Asian lady beetles can stain carpets, walls and curtains. The extension recommends a vacuum or broom indoors. Vacuum window corners, sills and light fixtures weekly from late September on.
Leaves are the other fall chore. In Menomonee Falls, the village collects leaves raked to the street on curb and gutter streets from mid October into late November, which means weeks of wet leaf bits on shoes. Before the first frost, have the furnace checked, as state health guidance recommends, and change the filter before the first cold night.
Two deep cleans a year line up well with this calendar: one when the snow is done and one in late fall after the insects settle in. Recurring visits between them handle the rest. The deep cleaning guide explains what each deep visit covers, and the recurring cleaning guide helps choose a frequency for the months in between.
The questions Brookfield homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Brookfield 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.
