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How to clean your home before moving out

Moving is a stressful situation for anyone. On top of packing up all your belongings for your next home, you want to make sure to get that damage deposit back, and there is only one way to do that. Cleaning. Now you have the stress of cleaning your previous home to perfection on your long list of tasks to complete. Of course you can always hire a cleaning service, but if you’ve left it to the last minute and cannot book a service or don’t want to pay for one, there are ways to make sure that you clean your previous home the right way for the next residents, and to get your money back.

  1. PICK UP THE RIGHT SUPPLIES
    Before you start cleaning, you need to make sure that you have the right products and supplies to do a good job. You probably already have the basics on hand; surface cleaner, cloths, mop, duster, glass cleaner, etc, but there are other essential products that you will need to make your home spotless.

Oven cleaner, wood cleaner, and stainless steel cleaner are some of the big ones, as these are large areas that your landlord will be looking to be cleaned. Think about all the areas, surfaces and finishes in your home and try to pick up products for each of them. It might seem like a lot of products and a bit expensive, but you can always take these products to use in your new home as well.

  1. REMOVE YOUR BELONGINGS BEFORE YOU START CLEANING
    It is important to start cleaning once everything is out of your home, and this includes boxes you may have still lying around. This stops dust from coming back to areas you have cleaned, footprints from movers, and scratches on the wall that may have happened while moving furniture or large items. This will prevent you from having to re-clean areas you already cleaned which in turn saves you time. No one wants to clean for longer than they have to, so cleaning your empty home will be much easier if there are not items in the way that you have to move.

As well, if you decide to hire a cleaning service for a move out clean, the cleaning company will most likely ask that all your items are removed from your home before they come in to clean. Best practice is just to make sure you start with a clean slate.

  1. CLEAN BACK TO FRONT
    Believe it or not, there is a correct order to how rooms should be cleaned. For kitchens and bathrooms, always start with big appliances first, then inside cabinets, sinks, counters and then floors. For living rooms, bonus rooms or offices that don’t have furniture built into the home, start with the walls and baseboards, then finish with the floors. Vacuuming and mopping should always be the last thing you do, as you want to collect all the dust and debris that have landed on the floor from cleaning surfaces.

You should also clean task by task instead of room by room. It is easier and will save you time in the long run. Polishing counters? Take the polish with you to each room that needs it instead of cleaning everything in one room and then moving to the next.

  1. MOVE OUT CLEANING CHECKLIST
    To help you out, below is a cleaning checklist of every room you may have in your home that should be included when you are cleaning. Refer to this if you are unsure, but remember that any and all areas should be cleaned.

KITCHEN


– interior and exterior of fridge and oven

– interior and exterior of cabinets

– stove vent

– sink and faucet

– backsplash

– interior and exterior of microwave

– hanging lights

– countertops

– walls

– light switches

– floors

– windows/window sills

BEDROOMS


– walls

– windows/window sills

– carpets

– inside closet

– vents

– light switches

BATHROOMS


– tub/shower and faucets

– sink and faucet

– interior and exterior of cabinets

– vents

– mirrors

– walls/window sills

– light switches

– floors

– windows

LIVING ROOM


– walls

– windows/window sills

– floors

– fireplace

– vents

– light switches

OTHER AREAS


– baseboards

– doors

– doorframes

– garage

– stairs

– railings

– lights

– basement