A month by month Portland cleaning calendar built from the airport's 1991 to 2020 climate normals: when mud peaks, when leaves fall, when dust and smoke take over.
Most cleaning calendars are written for a place with four tidy seasons. Portland has something closer to two: a long wet half of the year, centered on November through January, and a short, warm, very dry summer. The shoulder months in between are where the real planning happens.
The calendar below uses the National Centers for Environmental Information normals for Portland International Airport and guidance from the City of Portland and the Oregon Health Authority. Use it to time deep cleans, outdoor chores and the jobs that only make sense in dry weather.
The airport's normal annual precipitation is 36.92 inches, with measurable rain on about 157 days. November averages 5.45 inches, December 5.77 and January 5.03. July and August drop to 0.51 and 0.54 inches. Normal daily highs climb from 46.9 degrees in December to 81.9 in July and 82.3 in August, and about 15 days a year hit 90 or warmer, roughly 12 of them in June, July and August.
Cold is real but short. There are about 32 nights a year at or below freezing and a normal of 4.2 inches of snow, most of it in December, January and February. That means the bigger winter cleaning issue in Portland is wet, not white: damp entries, muddy paws and condensation on cold window glass.
These are the darkest, wettest weeks, and the cleaning priority is keeping water and grit at the door. Put a coarse mat outside and an absorbent one inside every entry, wash them often, and give the first few feet of floor extra attention. Wipe window sills and the bottoms of glass where condensation pools so it does not leave stains on painted wood.
This is also when the rare freeze or snow arrives. If a storm leaves de-icer or sand on the walk, sweep the steps before it is tracked onto hardwood.
Rain eases through spring, and the house shows what the wet months left behind. This is the natural time for a One-Time Deep Clean: baseboards washed by hand, window tracks cleared of months of grit, ceiling fans and light fixtures wiped, blinds wet-wiped. Do the outdoor jobs on dry days in between showers, such as hosing off porch furniture and scrubbing the front door.
Spring is also when many households clear out. Portland houses up to fourplexes can schedule bulky item pickup through their garbage company at City-set rates; call at least a week ahead so the junk is gone before the deep clean.
Summer is when Portland is driest, and the mess changes from mud to dust. With windows up for cross breezes, dust settles on sills, shelves, ceiling fan blades and screens. Wipe screens and sills every couple of weeks, and dust from the top of each room down.
Some summers bring wildfire smoke. The Oregon Health Authority advises keeping windows and doors closed, keeping air conditioner filters clean, running a HEPA filter and not vacuuming while smoke lingers, because vacuuming stirs particles already inside. When the air clears, air out the home, damp dust every surface and then vacuum thoroughly.
Dry weather is also the best window for jobs that need things to dry, such as washing exterior windows or cleaning a deck before the rain returns.
Fall brings leaf drop, and the City of Portland asks residents to sweep leaves from sidewalks and streets so they do not clog storm drains and flood intersections. Leaves on the walk also travel indoors on every shoe. Wet leaves are heavy, too: the City notes that a 60-gallon compost cart has a 135-pound limit that wet leaves can reach before the cart is full, so spread big loads across a few pickups.
Use the last dry weeks to get the house ready for the rain. Clean window tracks and sliding door channels, set out entry mats, and wash or replace the furnace and air conditioner filters. Pumpkins, yard waste and food scraps go in the curbside compost cart along with food-soiled paper.
A Recurring House Clean can follow this rhythm: weekly or bi-weekly through the wet core, bi-weekly or monthly through a dry summer, and a One-Time Deep Clean in spring or before the holidays. The recurring cleaning guide explains how to choose a frequency, and the rainy season and winter guide covers the wet months in more detail.
The questions Portland homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Portland 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.
