Mill city tenements, Tree Street houses and village center colonials all need a gentler hand than a new build, along with some care about old paint, damp wood and basements.
Southern New Hampshire's older housing comes in two main types. In the cities it grew up around the mills, and in the outlying towns it gathered around village centers long before that. Both have stayed in use for a very long time.
This guide looks at where those homes are, what to know about the paint, and how to clean plaster, wood and old tile without wearing them out.
The Nashua Manufacturing Company, incorporated in 1823, grew to four mills and about 1,000 workers, and the Jackson Manufacturing Company followed a year later. Today about 60 percent of Nashua's homes date from before 1980 and about 20 percent from before 1940, including areas like French Hill and the downtown Tree Streets.
Manchester's Amoskeag Manufacturing Company was once the largest cotton textile plant in the world, and many of the city's 19th century mill worker tenements have since been converted to condominiums. About 28 percent of its homes date from before 1940. Out in the towns the history runs older. Amherst was chartered in 1760 and Hollis was incorporated in 1746, and each has a village center listed as a historic district. Bedford dates to 1750 and Merrimack to a 1746 charter.
Federal rules treat 1978 as the cutoff for lead paint in housing, so any home built before then may have it under later layers. The concern is mostly paint that is chipping, chalking or rubbing, as it does on window sashes, door jambs and stair edges.
So change the routine. Damp wipe old sills, stair treads and baseboards rather than dry dusting them, and do not sand or scrape anything. Cleaners are not lead abatement contractors, so if paint is flaking, or there are young children at home, have the house tested. In a tenement converted to condos, ask your association what it knows about the building, and tell any cleaner before they start.
Old plaster chips and scuffs more readily than drywall, so wipe it gently and leave cracks alone. Wood floors may have thin finishes after years of refinishing, and sand from winter boots acts like sandpaper. A barely damp mop and a well used mat protect them better than any product.
Older tile and grout are porous. Strong acids and bleach can break them down, and Manchester Water Works's advice on the pink stain, which uses chlorine based cleaners, should be weighed against what your surface can take. Test first in a hidden spot. Its advice on using vinegar for white scale works for faucets and showerheads, but keep vinegar off natural stone.
Old basements and sills can stay damp, and pests take advantage of it. UNH Extension calls carpenter ants, along with termites, the most troublesome structural pest in New Hampshire, and it says they favor damp wood and that reducing humidity helps prevent them. A dehumidifier and a sump that works can do more for an old house than most cleaning.
Older homes also have more gaps. UNH Extension advises sealing cracks and screening attic vents before September 10 to keep out cluster flies, and it notes that mice move in as fall cools. If you find droppings, sawdust or a musty smell, deal with the cause first. Mold and water damage need a specialist, since a cleaner cannot fix them.
Walk through with your cleaner, or leave a clear note, about anything fragile: unsealed wood, soft stone, loose window hardware, peeling paint, old light fixtures. A One-Time Deep Clean or Initial Deep Clean is a good first step, since it reaches baseboards, window tracks and blinds that have more ledges in an old house. See the deep cleaning guide for what it covers. After that, regular gentle visits generally do less harm than occasional heavy scrubbing, and the recurring guide can help you pick a schedule.
The questions Nashua homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Nashua 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.
