The St. Louis year, month by month, from the snowiest weeks of January to the last ragweed of November, with the cleaning jobs each stretch calls for in a Chesterfield house.
Cleaning calendars written for the whole country rarely fit the middle of Missouri. The St. Louis area gets real snow and about 85 freezing nights a year, then gets its heaviest rain from April to June, then spends much of July above 89 degrees. Each of those stretches dirties a house in its own way.
This calendar is built from the 1991 to 2020 climate normals recorded at Lambert Airport, along with Missouri Department of Conservation field guides on local plants and insects. Use it to decide what to tackle yourself, when to adjust a recurring plan and when a deep clean pays off most.
January is the snowiest month in St. Louis, averaging about 5.7 inches, and its normal average temperature sits right around 32.1 degrees. The area sees about five days a year with an inch or more of snow, and each one sends salt, sand and slush across entry floors. That residue leaves a white haze on hardwood and tile and works its way into the carpet nearest the door.
Focus on the entry paths: mats inside and outside every door, a boot tray, and mopping the hard floors near the garage and front door more often than the rest of the house. With the house closed up, this is also a good time to dust the bedrooms and guest rooms that saw little use over the holidays.
The median last spring freeze in St. Louis falls around April 2, so March is usually the tail end of salt season. It is the best month for a winter reset: hand washed baseboards along the entry paths, wiped vents after months of furnace use, and floors cleaned of the last of the grit. A One-Time Deep Clean fits here, before the spring rains start in earnest.
April averages about 4.73 inches of precipitation at Lambert, May about 4.82 and June about 4.49, making them the three wettest months. The area records about 71 days a year with at least a tenth of an inch, and spring is when they pile up. Expect mud on every shoe and paw.
The same months bring ticks. Most Missouri species, including the lone star, American dog and deer tick, are most active from April through July, and pets that go outdoors can carry them inside. Vacuum pet beds and the furniture your dog uses each week, and check pets before they come in from the yard.
Cottonwoods along creeks and river bottoms release their cottony seed in May and June. It drifts against screens and collects in window tracks and door sills. Wipe tracks and sills every couple of weeks while it is flying.
July is the warmest month, with a normal high of 89.6 degrees and a normal low of 71.1, and it accounts for about 16 of the roughly 47 days a year that reach 90 or higher. Air conditioning runs around the clock, and the moving air carries dust onto fan blades, vent covers and the tops of door frames.
Common ragweed starts blooming in July and keeps going into November. It grows nearly everywhere in Missouri and is a leading cause of late summer hay fever. For anyone with allergies, this is the stretch to dust and vacuum more often, wash bedding weekly and keep the windows shut on breezy days.
Asian lady beetles are established across Missouri and often move into homes in large numbers late in the fall. They cluster on sunny walls, in window frames and around light fixtures, and can leave a yellow fluid that stains walls and fabric. Brown marmorated stink bugs do the same, slipping through cracks and openings to spend the winter indoors.
Vacuum both, rather than sweeping or crushing them; the Missouri Department of Conservation notes that sweeping lady beetles can make them release their staining fluid. Late September or October is also the second natural time for a deep clean: after the hottest weeks, during ragweed bloom and before the house closes up for winter.
The median first fall freeze falls around November 4, which usually ends the ragweed season and starts the long stretch of furnace weather. Swap the summer door mat for a heavier one, set out a boot tray and give the guest rooms a thorough dusting before family visits. A bi-weekly plan through December keeps the kitchen and bathrooms ready for company without a last-minute scramble.
The questions Chesterfield homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Chesterfield 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.
