Practical advice for keeping an old Wilmington home clean, from late 19th century rowhouses to 1930s Brandywine Hills houses: gentle methods, stair work and caution around old paint.
Old houses are not unusual in Wilmington. They are the norm. About 43 percent of the city's housing units were built in 1939 or earlier, and about 72 percent before 1970. Anyone cleaning them is working with materials that were made differently, that have been repaired many times and that are often impossible to replace.
This guide explains how to look after those homes, and what TotalCare Cleaning will and will not do in them. It applies to the city itself and to older parts of New Castle County.
The city has real range among its old houses. Rowhouses in Happy Valley and Trinity Vicinity date largely to the late 19th century. Wawaset Park was built by DuPont for its employees in 1918, Brandywine Hills dates to the 1930s and Westmoreland's detached homes to the 1950s. Wilmington has nine designated historic districts, including Quaker Hill, Trinity Vicinity, Delaware Avenue, Kentmere Parkway and Rockford Park.
Outside the city, the picture is younger but not new. About 43 percent of New Castle County units were built before 1970, and Brandywine Hundred, the suburban area north of Wilmington often called North Wilmington, was largely developed in the decades after World War II. In Hockessin, about 27 percent of homes predate 1970. So an older home in this area might be a brick rowhouse or a postwar suburban house.
Paint is the first thing to think about. The EPA says homes built before 1978 are more likely to contain lead-based paint, and dust and paint chips are among the most common sources of lead exposure at home. That covers most of the housing in the city. Wipe painted trim, window sills and stair rails with a damp cloth rather than a dry duster, and use a vacuum with a good filter on floors if you have one.
Do not sand, scrape or heat old paint as part of cleaning. If you see chipping or flaking, especially near windows or at a child's height, leave it alone and ask a qualified contractor. Cleaners should work around it and let you know it is there. They are not the right people to repair it.
Most damage in an old house is done by good intentions and strong products. A few rules cover most of it.
About 54 percent of city housing units are attached homes, and the layout of those homes changes how you clean them. Work from the top floor down, since dust falls and you only want to clean the stairs once. Clean stair treads and spindles by hand where a vacuum cannot fit. Keep a small vacuum or a broom on each floor if you can, so that nothing heavy needs to be carried up and down.
Small bathrooms deserve special attention in a humid climate. A bath tucked under a stair or added years later may have little ventilation, and hot, humid summers slow its drying. Run a fan if you have one, or crack a door. Wipe down tile and grout often, since prevention is far easier on old materials than scrubbing later.
Older frames and gaps can make it easier for insects to get in. The brown marmorated stink bug is established in Delaware and survives winter by entering houses when autumn evenings turn cold. Vacuum them gently off sills and tracks instead of crushing them. Sticky honeydew from spotted lanternflies can also collect on outdoor steps and rails near the door, so rinse it off before it gets carried inside. Sealing gaps is worth considering, but check first with your district's rules if your home is in a historic district.
A One-Time Deep Clean is often the right start for an old house, because of its hand washed baseboards, wet-wiped blinds, window tracks and detailed faucets. A bi-weekly plan can then keep it in shape. Cleaners will not repair plaster, strip finishes, or take on mold or water damage, and those jobs need a specialist. If something is fragile or original and irreplaceable, say so before the visit begins.
The questions Wilmington homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Wilmington 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.
