St. Petersburg has some of the best historic neighborhoods in Florida. Old Northeast has brick streets and homes dating back to the 1910s and ’20s. Historic Kenwood, platted in 1912 and built out mostly during the 1920s land boom, is full of Craftsman bungalows. More than half the homes there are bungalows, and the neighborhood is on the National Register of Historic Places.
These homes are a big part of what makes St. Pete feel like St. Pete. They also have materials you won’t find in a new build: old-growth wood floors, plaster walls, original windows, and built-ins. Cleaning them the same way you’d clean a new home can wear down the very details owners work hardest to preserve. Here’s how to clean a historic home with the care it deserves.
Original wood floors
Many bungalows have original heart pine or oak floors. They’re beautiful, but they’ve been around for a century and often have older finishes.
- Use as little water as possible. Water gets between old boards and can make them cup or swell, especially in Florida humidity.
- Dry first, then damp. Dust mop or vacuum with a soft floor attachment, then use a barely damp microfiber mop with a cleaner made for finished wood.
- Skip steam mops, vinegar, and oil soaps. Steam and moisture can damage older finishes, and oil soaps leave a buildup that dulls the wood over time.
- Mind the grit. Sand and grit scratch soft old wood. Mats at the door and felt pads under furniture help a lot.
Plaster walls and old paint
Plaster walls give older homes their solid, quiet feel, but they don’t like heavy scrubbing.
- Dust walls and trim with a soft, dry cloth or duster.
- Spot-clean marks with a barely damp cloth and mild soap, and test in an out-of-sight spot first.
- Avoid magic erasers and abrasive cleaners on painted plaster. They can take the finish off along with the mark.
A note on lead paint: homes built before 1978 may have lead-based paint somewhere under newer layers. Intact paint isn’t a hazard, but sanding, scraping, or dry-sweeping paint chips and dust can be. Wipe window sills and floors with a damp cloth rather than dry-dusting, and don’t scrape or sand old painted surfaces yourself. If you’re renovating, EPA rules require lead-safe work practices.
Original windows and wavy glass
Old windows with wavy, hand-made glass are irreplaceable.
- Clean glass with a soft cloth and a mild solution, not with scrapers or abrasive pads.
- Be gentle around old glazing putty, which can be dry and brittle.
- Vacuum sills and tracks before wiping, so grit doesn’t scratch the glass or wear the wood.
Built-ins, hardware, and old tile
- Built-in cabinets and bookcases: dust regularly and use a wood-safe cleaner sparingly. Original finishes can be shellac, which water and alcohol can damage.
- Original hardware: brass and glass doorknobs, hinges, and light fixtures should be dusted and wiped, not polished with harsh chemicals that strip the patina.
- Vintage bathroom tile: small hex and subway tile is durable, but old grout is often fragile. Use a soft brush and a pH-neutral cleaner. Our post on caring for Florida floors covers which cleaners to avoid.
Humidity and older homes
Many bungalows were built before central air conditioning and have had it added since. Older homes can have more air leaks, crawl spaces, and spots where moisture collects, which makes mildew more likely in closets and bathrooms. Our post on humidity and mildew covers where it hides and how to keep it down. The same advice applies to Gulfport’s older cottages, which share many of the same features.
What a cleaning covers
When we clean a historic home, our teams use minimal water on original wood floors, dust rather than scrub plaster and older finishes, clean original glass gently, and use cleaners suited to each surface. We don’t scrape, sand, or refinish anything. If you have a surface you’d like handled a particular way, just tell us.
Tampa Bay Home Services is a family-owned St. Petersburg company, not a franchise. Our cleaners are trained, background-checked employees who speak fluent English, so it’s easy to walk them through your home’s quirks once and know they’ll be respected. Read more about how we hire on our Why Us page. We clean homes in St. Petersburg, Gulfport, and across Pinellas County. Get your price and spend your time enjoying your porch instead of cleaning behind it.
This post is part of our complete guide to house cleaning in St. Petersburg.