Seattle gets about 150 days of measurable rain per year, and most of that falls between October and March. We’re not talking about dramatic thunderstorms that blow through in an hour – we’re talking about persistent drizzle, steady rain, occasional downpours, and gray skies that can last for weeks. If you employ household staff in Seattle, you need to understand that six months of constant moisture fundamentally changes how your household operates and what your staff are dealing with on a daily basis.
The most immediate impact is that outdoor work becomes difficult or impossible for half the year. Your estate manager can’t coordinate landscaping projects in December when it’s raining steadily and everything is muddy. Your house manager can’t oversee exterior painting or repairs when surfaces are constantly wet. Tasks that would be simple in summer become complicated logistics problems in winter because you’re working around rain that might pause for a few hours but never really stops for days at a time.
Moisture management becomes a primary household concern. Your housekeeper is constantly battling dampness – wet floors from people coming inside, moisture in closets and bathrooms, mold and mildew that thrive in Seattle’s humid winters, windows that fog and drip, and the general challenge of keeping everything dry when the air outside is saturated with moisture. Dehumidifiers, better ventilation, and constant vigilance about drying things properly become part of the daily routine from October through March.
At Seaside Staffing Company, we work with Seattle families whose household staff are sometimes shocked by how much the rain affects their work. If they’re from drier climates, they don’t automatically understand that you can’t just open windows to air out rooms because the air outside is wetter than the air inside. They don’t realize that wet clothing and shoes tracked through the house create ongoing cleaning challenges that don’t exist in places where rain is occasional rather than constant.
Entry areas take an absolute beating during rainy season. Your housekeeper is dealing with mud, water, wet leaves, and general mess tracked in every single time someone enters your house. Doormats need constant cleaning or replacement. Floors near doors need daily mopping. Boot trays and umbrella stands become essential infrastructure rather than decorative items. The volume of wet outerwear needing to be managed and dried increases exponentially, and finding space for all of it without creating humidity problems inside becomes a challenge.
Laundry becomes more complicated because nothing dries quickly when the air is humid. Your housekeeper can’t hang things outside to dry because they’ll just get wetter. Indoor drying takes longer, and without proper air circulation, you risk mildew on damp fabrics. Dryers run more frequently, which increases utility costs and wear on the machines. Towels and linens that would air-dry quickly in summer take twice as long in winter, affecting turnaround time for laundry cycles.
Your house manager is coordinating with vendors who are also dealing with rain limitations. Landscapers can only do certain tasks during brief dry windows. Contractors might reschedule outdoor work multiple times waiting for weather to cooperate. Deliveries take longer because drivers are moving more slowly in rain and traffic. Everything that involves people coming to your house or work being done outside operates on a slower, more uncertain timeline from October through March.
Transportation and commuting become more challenging. Your household staff are dealing with rain during their commutes, which means slower traffic, more accidents, and generally longer travel times to get to your house. Roads flood during heavy rain, visibility is poor, and the stress of driving in constant wet conditions wears on people. Some families are more flexible about arrival times during particularly bad weather, recognizing that a commute that takes 30 minutes in summer might take an hour in winter rain.
Seasonal Affective Disorder and general mood impacts from constant gray skies affect household staff just like they affect everyone else in Seattle. Your estate manager might be dealing with lower energy, difficulty focusing, or general malaise from lack of sunlight. This isn’t laziness – it’s a real biological response to months of gray skies and limited daylight. Families who understand this and create supportive work environments tend to retain staff better through Seattle winters.
Windows and gutters need more frequent attention. Your house manager should be coordinating gutter cleaning multiple times during rainy season because Seattle’s combination of rain and trees means gutters clog frequently with wet leaves and debris. Windows get dirty faster from rain splashing mud, and they need more frequent cleaning just to maintain visibility and let in what little light there is during gray winter days.
Outdoor furniture and equipment require different storage protocols. Your estate manager should be putting away or covering outdoor items much earlier in the season than in drier climates, because leaving them out means constant exposure to moisture that will damage them over months. Pool covers, outdoor cushions, umbrellas, and anything that can be damaged by prolonged wetness needs to be stored properly by October or it won’t survive until spring.
Indoor air quality becomes tricky because you’re trying to balance humidity control with having fresh air. Running heat with everything closed creates dry indoor air, but opening windows lets in damp outdoor air. Your house manager is juggling dehumidifiers, ventilation, and air filtration to keep indoor air healthy without creating moisture problems. This is more complex than it sounds and requires active management rather than just setting thermostats and forgetting them.
At Seaside Staffing Company, we encourage families to invest in proper rain gear and boots for household staff who need to work outside periodically. A good rain jacket and waterproof boots aren’t luxuries in Seattle – they’re necessary equipment for staff whose jobs require them to move between buildings, take out trash, check on exterior areas, or coordinate with outdoor vendors. Staff who are constantly getting soaked because they don’t have proper gear aren’t going to last long.
Pest control becomes more relevant during rainy months. Your house manager might be dealing with more insects and rodents seeking shelter from rain, which means coordinating with pest control services and staying vigilant about sealing entry points. What might be a minor pest management issue in summer can become more serious in winter when everything is trying to get out of the rain and into warm, dry spaces.
Event planning and entertaining shifts significantly. Your estate manager planning gatherings needs to assume rain and plan entirely for indoor events from October through March. Backup plans for outdoor events aren’t enough – you need primary plans that assume rain. Parking becomes more complicated when guests are arriving in rain, and your staff need to think through logistics of people getting from cars to your house without getting soaked.
Seasonal depression screening and support might be appropriate for household staff who are particularly affected by Seattle winters. Some families make sure staff have access to SAD lamps, encourage them to take vitamin D, are flexible about schedule adjustments that allow them to be outside during the few hours of daylight, or otherwise support staff mental health during the darkest months. This isn’t coddling – it’s recognizing that Seattle winters are genuinely difficult and supporting your staff through them.
Your estate manager should have emergency protocols for severe weather. Seattle doesn’t get severe weather often, but when it does – windstorms, flooding, occasional snow – the city isn’t equipped to handle it well. Your staff need to know what to do if roads flood, if you lose power, if trees fall, or if weather becomes legitimately dangerous. Having supplies and plans in place before problems happen prevents panic during actual emergencies.
Dry cleaning and clothing care change because everything takes longer to dry and moisture management is constant. Your housekeeper might be sending items to professional cleaners more frequently because home laundering in humid conditions isn’t effective for everything. Leather items, wool, anything that’s moisture-sensitive needs extra care and attention during rainy months.
The flip side is that rainy season has benefits – your yard and landscaping stay green without irrigation, you’re not dealing with wildfire smoke, and cooling costs are zero. Smart household budgets account for seasonal shifts in expenses rather than expecting consistency year-round. Your estate manager should understand these patterns and help you anticipate when costs will be higher and where you’ll save money during rainy months.
At Seaside Staffing Company, we tell Seattle families that household staff who thrive in your climate are either Seattle natives who grew up with rain and have adapted to it, or they’re people who genuinely love the Pacific Northwest enough that they’re willing to embrace rainy winters as part of the package. Staff who are miserable in the rain won’t last long, and trying to convince them to love Seattle winters is pointless. When hiring, be honest about what six months of rain means and select people who can genuinely handle it without becoming depressed or resentful.
The bottom line is that Seattle’s rainy season isn’t just weather – it’s a significant operational factor that affects household management, staff wellbeing, maintenance needs, and daily operations from October through March. Accept it, plan for it, equip your staff to handle it properly, and recognize that running a household through Seattle winter requires different approaches than running it through dry summer months. Your staff are doing the best they can in genuinely challenging conditions, and supporting them with proper equipment, realistic expectations, and mental health awareness is what separates families who retain good staff from families who cycle through people who burn out every winter.
