Seasonal Home Cleaning: Opening and Closing Your Palm Beach Home

Quick answer: a seasonal home in Palm Beach County needs three things: a proper closing clean and setup before you leave in the spring (humidity control, no food, water off, storm readiness), a check-in while you are away, and an opening deep clean before you arrive in the fall. Do those well and the home you walk into in November smells fresh instead of musty, the appliances work, and there are no surprises in the AC closet. Here is what each one involves, written from years of opening and closing homes in Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter Island, Juno Beach and the Town of Palm Beach.

Closing the home for the summer

The enemy over a South Florida summer is humidity. A closed home with the AC off reaches 80 percent humidity within days, and mildew follows on walls, leather, closets and linens. Everything else on the closing list exists to prevent moisture, pests or a failure nobody notices for months.

Clean

• Deep clean every room with special attention to the kitchen: no crumbs, grease or residue anywhere, inside the oven and microwave included.
• Empty the refrigerator and freezer completely, clean them, and either set vacation mode or turn them off and prop the doors open.
• Run the dishwasher empty, clean the filter, and leave the door cracked; clean the washer gasket and leave the lid open.
• Launder all linens and towels; store them in sealed bins or closets with moisture absorbers.
• Clean out pantries of anything that could attract pests; store dry goods in sealed containers or take them with you.

Set up

• Leave the AC running at 77–80°F, fan on auto, with a humidity setting under 60 percent if the thermostat supports it; replace the filter.
• Add a stand-alone dehumidifier with a continuous drain in large or older homes; set it to 50–55 percent.
• Open interior doors, closet doors and blinds partway so air circulates; leave ceiling fans on low.
• Turn off the water heater and the main water valve; many owners also pour a little mineral oil into drains and toilets to stop evaporation and sewer gas.
• Unplug small appliances and electronics; set lights on timers.
• Check storm shutters or impact glass, bring in or secure patio furniture, and leave a hurricane plan with your caretaker or property manager.
• Notify the HOA or building, the alarm company and the post office; arrange a monthly check.

While you are away

Someone should walk the home at least monthly and after any named storm. The visit confirms the AC is cooling and draining, looks for water stains, leaks and pests, runs the faucets and flushes toilets to keep traps full, checks the dehumidifier bucket or drain, and looks at the exterior for storm damage. A monthly maintenance clean does all of this and keeps dust from building, so the opening clean is shorter.

Opening the home for the season

Even a well-closed home gathers dust over six months and can carry a faint closed-up smell. The opening clean is a deep clean with a few seasonal additions, ideally finished the day before you arrive.

• Air the home: open windows and doors for an hour if the weather allows, then run the AC.
• Deep clean every room top to bottom — fans, fixtures, blinds, baseboards, upholstery, under furniture, floors.
• Kitchen: clean and restart the refrigerator, run the dishwasher, sanitize counters and sinks, wipe inside cabinets.
• Bathrooms: sanitize fully, run showers and faucets until the water is clear, check for mildew in grout and corners.
• Turn the water heater and water valve back on; run every faucet; flush toilets; check under sinks for leaks.
• Replace the HVAC filter, check the thermostat batteries and the drain line.
• Launder or refresh linens; make the beds; set out towels.
• Clean patio furniture and set it out; wipe railings and sliders; brush screens.
• Stock the basics if requested: paper goods, soaps, coffee, a first grocery run.
• Walk the home for pests, leaks, bulbs and anything that needs a repair before you arrive.

Estate and larger homes

For larger residences with household staff, a house manager or a property management company, we coordinate opening and closing with them, follow the home’s written procedures for alarms and access, and build a season-long schedule — weekly or more during the months the family is here, monthly maintenance while they are away — so the same team handles the home all year. See our estate and luxury home cleaning service.