A third of Toledo homes predate 1940. How to clean plaster, old paint, radiators, original hardwood and vintage tile without damage, and what the city's lead-safe rules say about dust.
Toledo is a city of old houses. Census estimates put about 31 percent of its homes in the 1939 or earlier column, about 58 percent before 1960, and fewer than 3 percent built since 2010. Older houses turn up in every part of the city.
Those homes have materials that newer houses do not, and they respond to cleaning differently. This guide covers each one, plus the lead paint caution that applies to almost every house built before 1978.
The median year built for Toledo housing is 1955. That median hides a long tail: nearly a third of units are from before 1940, when plaster, hardwood and hand-painted trim were standard. Detached single family houses make up about 65 percent of the housing, so most of these are full houses with basements, attics and porches rather than apartments.
The suburbs vary. Maumee's median home was built in 1963, with about 16 percent built in 1939 or earlier. Perrysburg, laid out by government surveyors in 1816, has a historic district whose construction is governed by Section 1245.45 of the city's zoning code, though its median home was built in 1988.
Any paint applied before 1978 may contain lead, and in older layers it often does. Toledo's Lead Safe program requires rental properties of one to four units built before 1978 to meet lead-safe standards and hold a Lead-Safe Certificate. To get it, a lead inspector does a visual inspection and wipes floors, window sills and window wells to test the dust.
That tells you where lead dust collects in an old house: on sills and wells where windows rub, and on floors below them. Wet wiping those surfaces with a damp cloth and a mild cleaner, then rinsing the cloth often, removes dust without spreading it. Dry dusting, sanding, scraping or using abrasive pads on old paint does the opposite. Peeling or chipping paint is a repair for a lead-safe contractor, not a cleaning task.
Plaster walls are harder than drywall but they crack and their paint chalks. Dust them with a soft, dry microfiber cloth, and spot clean marks with a barely damp cloth rather than scrubbing. Picture rails, crown molding and the tops of tall door casings catch more dust than any surface in a modern house; a long handled duster with a microfiber head reaches them.
Painted trim, built-in bookcases and china cabinets do best with a damp cloth and a mild soap solution, dried right after. Skip magic erasers on old paint: they are mildly abrasive and can wear through to the layers underneath.
Cast iron radiators collect dust between their fins all summer, and the first heating day sends it into the room. Before the median first freeze on October 24, vacuum between fins with a crevice tool or a radiator brush and wipe the tops and the floor underneath.
Original hardwood in older houses is often thinner after decades of refinishing, so it should never be soaked. Vacuum, then damp mop with a cleaner made for wood. Vintage hex and subway tile in bathrooms is durable, but old grout is porous and crumbles under harsh scrubbing. A soft brush and a neutral cleaner protect it; acids and bleach on old grout wear it away faster.
A One-Time Deep Clean will hand wash baseboards, wet-wipe blinds, clean window tracks, wipe ceiling fans, light fixtures and vents in place, degrease cabinet fronts and detail faucets, all with methods suited to old finishes. A Recurring House Clean then dusts reachable baseboards and blind slats on every visit.
No cleaning service sands, strips or repaints, and none should scrape loose paint, repair plaster or treat mold in a damp basement. Those are jobs for the right specialist. See the deep cleaning guide for the full scope and the move-out guide if you rent an older unit.
The questions Toledo homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Toledo 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.
