Raleigh skews new, but about 23 percent of its homes predate 1980, and Oakwood holds its largest group of Victorian era houses. Older homes need a gentler hand and some clear limits.
Raleigh was planned as the capital in 1792, and though most of today's housing is far newer, the older streets are still there. Oakwood alone has a period of significance running from 1880 to 1941, and Durham and Chapel Hill have a larger share of older housing than Raleigh does.
This guide explains how to keep those homes clean without wearing them down. It is written for owners and renters who will be planning for TotalCare Cleaning, and it says plainly which jobs belong to another trade.
About 23 percent of Raleigh's homes were built before 1980, and the median year built is 1997. Raleigh's Oakwood Historic District, with its period of significance from 1880 to 1941, holds the city's largest collection of nineteenth century Victorian era homes.
Elsewhere in the Triangle, about 30 percent of Durham's housing and about 35 percent of Chapel Hill's date from before 1980. Durham has eight local historic districts, including Trinity Heights, Morehead Hill and Watts-Hillandale. By contrast, only about 12 percent of Cary's homes and fewer than 4 percent of Apex homes are that old, so this guide will rarely apply there.
Any home from before 1978 may have lead paint under newer coats. Sound, intact paint is safe to dust and wipe with a damp cloth. Peeling, chipping or chalking paint is not something to clean. Do not sand it, scrape it or dry sweep the flakes, because that creates dust. A qualified contractor should deal with it, and children and pets should stay away until then.
If you know of a window sash or porch ceiling with a problem, say so before the visit. A cleaner will skip that area rather than disturb it, and that is the right outcome.
Older materials need less water and gentler products than the finishes in a house from 2010. Wood floors should be damp mopped at most, with the mop wrung well, because standing water can raise the grain. Old plaster can be dusted and lightly wiped, but scrubbing can leave a mark. Old tile and grout tolerate more, though harsh abrasives can dull a glaze.
Tell your cleaner which features are original, and which ones you maintain yourself. A short note about a stained glass panel, a fragile doorknob or an antique sink saves everyone a lot of trouble. Interior windows are an add-on, so old glass is only cleaned if you ask.
Many older houses have crawlspaces or basements, and those attract pests in this region. NC State Extension says camel crickets seek cool, humid spots such as crawlspaces, basements, garages, bathrooms and laundry rooms, and that they leave dark fecal smears. Brown marmorated stink bugs move to overwintering sites in mid September and October and gather in attics, garages and behind picture frames.
Cleaners can wipe up the marks and vacuum what they find on surfaces, but they will not solve the cause. Sealing gaps and treating the crawlspace are pest control work. Multicolored Asian lady beetles also gather on sunny sides of houses in fall, and squashed beetles can stain fabric and painted surfaces, so vacuum them up rather than crushing them.
A One-Time Deep Clean is often a good starting point, because hand washed baseboards, wet-wiped blinds, window tracks and degreased cabinet fronts do a lot for original woodwork and kitchens. Then a monthly or bi-weekly Recurring House Clean can maintain it.
Water is one worry that does not usually come up in Raleigh. Raleigh Water's 2025 finished water averaged about 25 milligrams per liter of total hardness, which the utility classifies as soft. Old fixtures are not usually fighting mineral crust, so use a soft cloth and mild products rather than anything abrasive.
The questions Raleigh homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Raleigh 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.
