Cleaning a Bala Cynwyd Condo or Twin: A Practical Local Guide

Condo and apartment buildings along City Avenue tend to have large windows, glass shower doors, and compact open kitchens. Being close to a busy road and I-76 also means a fine layer of traffic dust settles on window sills, balcony doors, and anything near a window more quickly than you might expect.

Wipe window sills and balcony door tracks weekly, and clean the inside of large windows with a squeegee or a microfiber cloth to avoid streaks. Glass shower doors stay clear longer if you squeegee them after each shower; for buildup, a non-abrasive cleaner and a soft scrub pad work well. In an open kitchen, wipe the counters, cooktop, and appliance fronts often, since grease and crumbs are visible from the living area.

The brick and stone twins in the neighborhoods around Bala Avenue and Levering Mill Road usually have three bedrooms, one or two bathrooms, a basement, and a central staircase. The stairs take most of the daily traffic, and grit collects in the back corner of every tread.

Vacuum stairs with a crevice tool along the back edge, then damp wipe the treads and risers. Railings and spindles collect fingerprints and dust, so give them a wipe every week or two. In older twins, plaster walls and wood trim should be dusted rather than scrubbed, and radiators should be cleaned between the fins before the heating season starts.

Many Bala Cynwyd twins and singles have basements that hold the laundry, storage, and sometimes a family room or a bathroom. Philadelphia area summers are humid, and lower levels in older homes can develop a musty smell or mildew in July and August.

Run a dehumidifier in the warmer months, wipe the area around the washer and dryer regularly, and keep lint and dust from building up behind appliances. If there is a basement bathroom, run the exhaust fan after use and clean the shower more often than you would upstairs.

Bala Cynwyd gets a mix of city and suburb when it comes to what ends up in your home. Spring brings tree pollen from the trail and the hillside streets, fall brings leaves, and winter brings road salt from City Avenue and the side streets onto entry floors and garage stairs.

Keep good mats at every entry, wipe up salt residue before it dries into a white film, and plan a deeper cleaning in spring and fall to get baseboards, cabinet fronts, light fixtures, and the inside of appliances.

City Avenue buildings see a lot of turnover, and many renters need the unit spotless before they hand back the keys. A move-out cleaning covers inside kitchen cabinets and drawers, the oven and refrigerator, bathroom vanities, closets, window sills, and floors throughout.

If you are moving in, the best time to clean is before the furniture arrives. An empty home lets you reach inside every cabinet and closet and start fresh, especially in a unit that may have been empty for a few weeks.

Between work, commuting, and family, keeping a home clean can easily take up a whole weekend. A recurring cleaning every week or two keeps the kitchen, bathrooms, and floors under control, and a deep cleaning a couple of times a year handles the rest.

Cris & Cleber Home Cleaning is a family-run company based in Northeast Philadelphia that serves Bala Cynwyd. Owners Cris and Cleber Santos are on every job themselves, and on bigger first-time cleanings they bring one extra helper. Every visit follows a room-by-room checklist. Call or text (835) 280-7875 to tell us about your home and get an estimate.