A month by month cleaning calendar for Oklahoma City homes, built from Will Rogers Airport climate normals, the National Weather Service tornado record and the local pollen report.
Oklahoma City weather does not ease from one season into the next. It swings: a January night at 27 degrees, a May with more than five inches of rain and the peak of tornado season, a July that tops 93 degrees on a normal afternoon. Each swing leaves a different mark on a house, and a cleaning plan that ignores the calendar ends up chasing it.
The calendar below groups the year into five stretches and lists what to clean, what to check and what to set aside for a professional visit in each one. The numbers come from NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals at Will Rogers Airport and the National Weather Service Norman office.
January's normal low in Oklahoma City is 27.0 degrees, and the city averages about 72 nights a year at or below freezing with 6.7 inches of snow. Whatever falls, the melt and grit end up at the entries.
Oklahoma City Utilities advises dripping faucets on exterior walls and leaving under-sink cabinet doors ajar when temperatures stay below 32 degrees for a sustained period. Clear the cabinet under the kitchen sink before a hard freeze so it is easy to leave it ajar, and wipe the floor of that cabinet afterward if a drip line has wandered.
The Oklahoma Allergy and Asthma Clinic in Oklahoma City publishes a daily pollen and mold report for tree, grass, weed and mold levels, and it calls Oklahoma's allergy seasons long. Pollen of any kind shows up as a fine film on sills, patio furniture and car hoods. April also starts the stretch of the year when most local tornadoes occur.
This is the right time for the big reset: a One-Time Deep Clean to wash baseboards, wet-wipe blinds and clear window tracks before the rain starts, plus a few household jobs of your own.
May is the wettest month in Oklahoma City, with 5.31 inches of normal rainfall, and it is also the peak month for tornadoes. Of the 194 tornadoes the National Weather Service has counted near the city since 1890, about two thirds came in April, May and June. Homes take a beating from wet shoes, wet dogs and late nights in a garage or shelter.
After a storm, Oklahoma City collects residential tree and limb debris at the curb on the bulky schedule, cut to 10 feet or shorter and kept separate from furniture and appliances. Once the yard is cleared, the inside can be reset. The storm season guide has the full checklist.
July's normal high is 93.1 degrees, and Oklahoma City averages about 73 days a year at 90 degrees or hotter and 12.5 at 100 or above. The house stays sealed and the air conditioning runs most of the day, so dust has nowhere to go but the fan blades, return vents and blind slats.
Late summer is a good time for a second deep clean, or for asking a recurring cleaner to focus on vents and fans for a few visits running.
The last months of the year can turn hard in Oklahoma City. The October 26 to 28, 2020 ice storm left at least 1.5 inches of freezing rain in parts of central Oklahoma, brought down trees and power lines, and left hundreds of thousands of people without power. Yukon's Czech Day, held every October since 1966, is a reminder that this is also a busy month for visitors and gatherings.
Use these weeks to get the house ready for winter and for holiday guests.
The questions Oklahoma City homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Oklahoma City 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.
