Orlando does not have four seasons so much as a pollen spring, a wet summer, a storm-watch fall and a mild winter. Here is what each stretch does to a home and what to clean when.
Most seasonal cleaning advice assumes snow in January and spring cleaning in April. Orlando runs on a different clock. Its normal yearly temperature is 73.0 degrees, pollen peaks while much of the country is still thawing, and the rainiest months are the hottest ones. This calendar is built from the 1991 to 2020 National Weather Service normals for Orlando, UF/IFAS pollen and pest timing, and the county's hurricane season dates.
Orlando's normal annual rainfall is 51.45 inches. The normal June high is 90.8 degrees with a low of 71.6, while December highs settle around 73.8 with lows near 52.9. Morning humidity averages 88 percent across the year, and afternoon air is driest in spring, at 50 percent in March and 47 percent in April, compared with 61 percent in August and September.
Those numbers explain the calendar below. Dry, breezy spring air moves pollen and dust indoors. Hot, wet summer air keeps bathrooms and closets damp. Fall carries the tail of hurricane season, and winter is the easy stretch.
These are the lightest months for most homes, which makes them the right time for jobs that are hard to face in August: washing bedding and curtains, vacuuming under furniture and clearing closets. UF/IFAS notes that Florida trees pollinate in winter and spring, and its oak season begins in February, so dust ceiling fans and wipe sills now before the heavy weeks.
UF/IFAS calls March and April the height of Florida's pollen season. A fine yellow powder coats cars, patios and screens and is back within hours of being rinsed off, so the goal is keeping it outside rather than chasing it inside.
Termites also swarm in this window. UF/IFAS says activity is most visible from March to June, with swarmers drawn to indoor lights.
May sits between the pollen peak and the wet season, and it is the natural month for a One-Time Deep Clean: blinds wet-wiped, window tracks cleared of pollen, fans and vents wiped in place and baseboards washed by hand. Oak pollination runs from February into May, so the film it leaves is at its thickest just as the season ends.
June is Orlando's wettest month at 8.05 inches, and the four months from June through September bring about 29.6 inches of rain. Morning humidity climbs to 91 percent in August and September. Hurricane season begins June 1.
This is the season of damp towels, musty closets and muddy entries. Run bathroom fans after every shower, leave the dishwasher and washer doors cracked to dry, and mop entries more often. Check the humidity and mildew guide for room by room steps and the storm season guide for a preparation checklist.
Hurricane season does not end until November 30, and the record for September rain in Orlando, 22.42 inches in 2022 when Hurricane Ian crossed Central Florida, shows how late the season can hit. As the air dries, give closets, shoe racks and linen shelves a once-over for anything that stayed damp all summer. Grasses keep pollinating into fall and ragweed is the weed UF/IFAS considers most clinically significant, so allergy households should keep up the damp dusting.
With highs near 74 and lows in the low 50s, December is comfortable for big cleaning jobs and for hosting. Clean the guest bath and guest bedroom first, then the kitchen, since holiday cooking leaves grease on cabinet fronts and stovetop grates.
The questions Orlando homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
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