Month by month, what a Minnetonka house needs: winter entry care at 16 degrees, a thaw reset after ice-out, dehumidifying in muggy July, and sealing up before fall insects move in.
Generic spring cleaning checklists assume a spring that starts in March. Around Lake Minnetonka the snow often lingers well past that, summer turns humid fast, and fall has its own set of uninvited guests. A calendar that follows the real local year works better than one written for somewhere else.
The dates below come from the 1991 to 2020 normals for the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, the Lake Minnetonka ice-out record and guidance from University of Minnesota Extension and the Minnesota Department of Health.
Normal average temperatures at the airport run from about 16 degrees Fahrenheit in January to about 74 in July, when the normal high reaches the low 80s. Snow totals about 51 inches a year, mostly in December and January, and there are about 90 days with an inch or more on the ground. Rain totals about 31.6 inches, with June the wettest month.
Two more dates anchor the year. Records kept since 1855 put the median ice-out on Lake Minnetonka at April 14, the unofficial start of the outdoor season. And the Twin Cities sit near the northern edge of Tornado Alley, with tornadoes almost every year, so late spring and summer storms are part of the plan too.
This is the stretch with about 22 nights at or below zero and the furnace running almost nonstop. Focus on the entry: a coarse mat outside, an absorbent one inside, and a boot tray so meltwater does not sit on hardwood. Vacuum mats often so sand does not grind into the floor.
Watch the air, too. The Minnesota Department of Health advises keeping indoor relative humidity between 20 and 40 percent in winter and lists window condensation and ice dams among the places mold shows up. Wipe condensation off window sills in the morning and keep humidifiers within that range.
Snow melts in stages, and the mud season in between is hard on floors. Hold off on the big reset until the snow is gone, then tackle baseboards, window tracks and entry grout in one go.
April has a local quirk. Wayzata flushes its water mains each April and warns that flushing can temporarily discolor tap water, so residents should watch laundry until the water runs clear. Check your own city's notices before washing whites or curtains that month.
Once the lake ice is out, open the house up on dry days and clean the screens before they go back in.
June is the wettest month of the year at about 4.6 inches of rain, and average dew points climb to about 60 degrees in July and 58 in August. University of Minnesota Extension notes that humid air let in through basement windows condenses on cool walls and floors, which homeowners often mistake for a leak. Keep lower level windows shut on muggy days and run a dehumidifier; the Department of Health suggests keeping indoor humidity under 60 percent outside winter.
Summer also brings storms and, some years, wildfire smoke. On smoke days the Department of Health advises closing windows and doors, using a MERV 13 or higher HVAC filter and skipping the vacuum unless it has a HEPA filter. Dust with a damp cloth until the air clears.
Bugs are mostly an outdoor problem now. The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District has worked on mosquitoes, black flies and ticks across the metro since 1958, but screens and a quick check of pets after walks still help.
Fall is insect season indoors. Extension says cluster flies seek shelter in August and September and overwinter in attics and upper walls, boxelder bugs move in during fall and can stain surfaces, and multicolored Asian lady beetles fly to buildings from late September to late October. The advice for all three is the same: seal gaps outside, then vacuum what gets in rather than crushing it.
It is also clean-out season. Tonka Bay holds a Fall Clean-Up for residents, usually on the third Saturday in September, collecting small furniture, debris and bundled carpet at the curb. Use it to clear garages and storage rooms before the snow.
The questions Minnetonka homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
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