We clean Winchester's older homes

Older Winchester houses have more to dust

Much of Winchester grew up around the train line into Boston. Near the center and up on the hills, many of the houses are Victorians and Colonial Revivals built generations ago. They are good houses to live in. They also carry far more trim than a newer house of the same size, and every ledge on that trim holds dust. A quick wipe of the tables and counters leaves most of it right where it was. That is why we dust the door frames and the wall hangings too.

These houses were built with separate rooms instead of one open space. That means more doorways and more corners for a vacuum to work around. Stairs are often narrow, and some houses have a back staircase off the kitchen as well as the front one. None of that is hard work. It just takes longer than the size of the house suggests. When you ask for an estimate, tell us how many rooms and floors there are so the price fits the house.

Not every house in Winchester is old. Some lots now hold a newer, larger house where an older one used to stand. Those houses have their own chores. Tall ceilings put the fans out of easy reach, and big windows show every smudge once the afternoon sun hits them. Dusting ceiling fans and cleaning windows inside and out are both services we offer. A newer house gets the same attention as an older one.

• Door frames and wall hangings dusted
• Ceiling fans and mini blinds dusted
• Carpets and hardwood floors vacuumed
• Inside of the oven and microwave cleaned
• Linens changed and beds made

Winchester weather ends up inside the house

Winchester winters are long, and the roads and sidewalks get salted for months. All of that salt comes home on boots. It lands on the mat, then gets walked through the front hall and up the stairs. On hardwood it dries into a dull white film that looks like worn finish until it is wiped away. The grit that comes in with it is worse, because it scratches the floor every time someone steps on it. Vacuuming through the winter keeps that grit from wearing the finish down.

Winchester has a lot of big trees, and the Middlesex Fells woods run along the east side of town. In spring the pollen comes down yellow and coats porches and cars. It gets through window screens and settles on sills and shelves inside. In fall the leaves get tracked in and break up into dust on the floors. Window cleaning inside and out is one of our services, and late spring, once the pollen has passed, is a sensible time to book it.

Summers in Winchester get humid. Many older houses were built before bathroom fans were common, so the steam from a shower has nowhere to go. Mildew starts in the grout lines and along the caulk. Cleaning the bathrooms on a regular schedule keeps it from getting a hold. In a lot of these houses the laundry room is down in the basement, where damp air and lint collect. The laundry room is on our service list, and so is folding the laundry.

What Winchester homeowners can book with us

Recurring cleaning keeps a house in good shape between the bigger jobs. We come on a regular schedule and handle the everyday work, like vacuuming, dusting, emptying the trash and making the beds. In a big house with a lot of rooms, a steady visit keeps the dust from building up. One customer put it this way. "I work from home and having them come every other week keeps the place manageable."

A deep clean is a one-time visit for a house that has not had a full cleaning in a while. It is a good way to start before a regular schedule, or to get the house ready before family comes to stay. It goes further than a regular visit. The inside of the oven and the inside of the microwave both get cleaned. We dust the ceiling fans and the mini blinds as well, and in an older house with many windows those blinds hold a lot of dust.

When a house changes hands, the empty rooms show every mark the furniture was hiding. Our move-in and move-out cleaning is for that moment, whether you are handing over the keys or getting ready to unpack. Older houses get renovated often, and a new kitchen or bathroom leaves fine dust far beyond the room that was worked on. Post construction clean up is the service for that. One customer wrote: "Called for a one-time clean after renovations and they handled all the dust and leftover mess without complaining. Communication was easy and the price was fair."

Getting a price in Winchester

The easiest way to get a price is to call (617) 803-6705 or ask for an estimate online. Tell us how many rooms and floors the house has, and where in Winchester it is. Then say whether you want a one-time clean or a regular schedule. We send back a free quote, so you can see what the visit covers before you book anything. Our listed hours run around the clock Monday to Friday, with daytime hours on Saturday and Sunday.