Keeping a Wynnewood Stone Colonial Clean: A Room-by-Room Guide

The biggest mistake in a large home is trying to clean everything every time. You end up rushing the last rooms or giving up halfway. A better approach is to split the house into zones: the kitchen and main living areas, the bathrooms, the bedrooms, and the lower level.

The kitchen, bathrooms, and main stairs need attention every week because they get the most use. Bedrooms and formal rooms like a dining room or living room that is used less often can be dusted and vacuumed every other week. The basement and guest areas can wait for a monthly pass or a seasonal deep cleaning.

Many Wynnewood homes still have their original oak or maple floors, often with a slate or stone foyer. Wood floors should be dry dusted or vacuumed first to remove grit, then cleaned with a damp microfiber mop and a product made for finished wood. Avoid soaking them, and avoid vinegar or steam, which can damage the finish over time.

Stone entry floors are tougher, but grout lines hold dirt and winter salt. Sweep or vacuum first, then wash with a pH neutral cleaner and dry the floor so salt residue does not dry into a white film. A good mat inside and outside the front and back doors cuts down on how much dirt makes it past the entry.

Details are what make a stone colonial special, and they are also where dust hides. Built-in bookshelves, crown molding, wainscoting, mantels, and window seats all collect a fine layer of dust that shows in the afternoon light. Work from the top down with a microfiber cloth or a duster with an extension.

Leaded glass and older windows have many small panes, so wipe them with a lightly dampened cloth instead of spraying cleaner directly on the glass and the lead. Radiators should be cleaned between the fins with a narrow brush or a vacuum crevice tool, ideally before the heating season starts, so the dust is not blown around the room all winter.

A home with four or five bathrooms means a lot of grout, glass, and fixtures. Older tile and grout in original bathrooms can stain easily, and humid summers make mildew a regular problem, especially in lower level and third floor bathrooms that do not get much air.

Clean showers and tubs weekly in the bathrooms you use every day, and run the exhaust fan for 20 to 30 minutes after showers. Guest bathrooms can be wiped down and refreshed less often, but flush toilets and run water in them regularly so drains and bowls do not develop stains or odors.

Stone houses keep basements cool, but they can also keep them damp. In July and August, finished lower levels and laundry rooms often feel humid, which leads to musty smells and mildew on walls, baseboards, and around the washer. A dehumidifier helps a lot, and so does wiping down the laundry area regularly.

Wynnewood's big yards and tall trees mean the back entry or mudroom collects leaves, grass, and mud from spring to fall, and salt in the winter. Treat that space like a second kitchen floor: vacuum or sweep often, wipe the lower walls and door, and keep a washable mat in place.

For most Wynnewood households, the question is not whether the house can be kept clean, but whether it is worth giving up every weekend to do it. A recurring cleaning every week or two keeps the kitchen, bathrooms, and main floors in shape, and a deep cleaning in spring and fall resets the details.

Cris & Cleber Home Cleaning is a family-run company based in Northeast Philadelphia that serves Wynnewood. Owners Cris and Cleber Santos are on every job themselves, and on bigger first-time cleanings in large homes they bring one extra helper, so every room gets the same detail. Call or text (835) 280-7875 to tell us about your home and get an estimate.