Clean before You Close the Door!

The truck is loaded. The movers are ready to drive away, and a sinking feeling falls over you! The fridge! You forgot to clean the fridge and possibly beneath the upstairs bathroom sink.
Did someone check?”

That’s when you remember the outside shed and how you told your friend the day before that you would take care of it and the other things!

Success is Motivating

Moving always has hidden parts to it. We have covered some in previous blogs. A good example is the blog about “things your mover won’t and can’t move.” You need knowledge so that your move will be successful.

Now that your moving team is ready to move on to your new location with all that you hold as important and dear, you also realize that you should have called a cleaning company to help you with the cleaning process that needs to take place.

Buyers/owners/landlords expect you to do at least a “baseline” cleaning of the house you are leaving behind.

The One Thing that Needs to Be Done

This is not the most exciting part of your move, but it is necessary. After all, excitement resides on the other end where unloading and decorating your new home takes place.

The fact is: you’re changing your street address and there is one thing that you must do—even before your closing date—and that is to clean. While cleaning a home for the last time is never fun, it’s worth doing if there’s a security deposit involved or if your home buyers are standing in the wings—waiting.

A move-out clean can be a big job. If you need any help, you can always use an online company like Homeaglow to book a trusted, reasonably priced cleaner.

Hopefully, you are reading this blog BEFORE you drive away from your previous location. Here are some cleaning tips to guarantee you have a successful move-out experience.

Having a Plan in Place is a Game Changer

Believe it or not: having a plan means you work faster and smarter. Lots of people showing up and moving items to the recycle bin or the trash bin can be confusing. This can also leave you wondering if you have missed something or if something valuable was tossed away.

It’s always best to work and clean as a team. If you are alone in this process, make the most of it. Organize your day. But if you have helpers: make sure they know their tasks.

When cleaning, make your way from high surfaces, such as ceiling fans or shelves, to lower surfaces, such as the floors. The dirt goes down, and you can quickly get it up. Also, if you do it this way, you won’t mistakenly blow dust into recently cleaned areas. The goal should be to do a good job easily and then move on to your new location with expectation!

Stick to what Comes First?

Stay on course! As you plan, ask yourself what comes first and stick to it. Distractions happen more within the moving process than almost anything else you face.

You need to know if you can get what you need done in a day or if you need to schedule more time. Putting a plan in place will cause you to be honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do!

Do certain rooms need to be painted, etc.? Do the door frames need a quick wash down? Sometimes cleaning all at once can be a lot for anyone.

If possible, and if you are not involved with a long-distance move, you can start cleaning rooms that are vacant first, such as a guest bedroom. Always, always break a move and the cleaning process into smaller manageable time chunks. This will help you to maintain control and not feel overwhelmed.

Have Cleaning Products Ready

There is so much emotion tied up in moving that you want to make sure you have the cleaning products that you need. This is the first step to a successful closeout of one location.

You will need different cleaners for different areas. For example, kitchen cleaning supplies in the kitchen, and bathroom cleaning supplies in the bathroom, and so on.

Top to Do’s—

• Dust ceiling fans
• Remove any nails or screws from the walls. Fill the holes with sheetrock repair. (This makes a good impression.)
• Wipe down walls and especially molding
• Clean the windows and windowsills
• Wash the doors
• Sweep and vacuum
• Mop the floors
• Dust any vents or exhaust fans
• Dust blinds.

Move out cleaning checklist for Bedrooms:

• Dust all surfaces
• Clean the inside and outside of the closets
• Remove stains on walls and baseboards
• Clean scuff marks and stains on the bedroom wall
• Clean windows and windowsills
• Wipe baseboards
• Wipe doorknobs, doorframes, and doors
• Wipe light switches 
• Empty garbage
• Vacuum and damp-mop hard surface floors.

Taking on the Bathroom:

• Clean and sanitize the bathroom fixtures
• Make sure sinks are unclogged
• Clean mirrors
• Wash away soap scum
• Empty the trash
• Clean and dust baseboards
• Wash the floor
• Clean shower tiles
• Clean-up and dust shelves and counters
• Clean windows, window tracks, and inside windowsills
• Clean and sanitize doorknobs, doorframes, and doors
• Sanitize light switches.

Checklist for the Kitchen

• Dust all surfaces
• Remove wall and baseboard stains
• Remove waste
• Vacuum and clean the floor
• Clean shelves, countertops, and tabletops
• Wash all dishes
• Clean and polish all glasses
• Clean cabinet exteriors and interiors
• Clean backsplash and sinks
• Unclog the sink drain
• Clean windows, window tracks, and inside windowsills
• Clean and dust baseboards
• Clean and sanitize doorknobs, doorframes, and doors
• Wipe and sanitize light switches
• Clean interior and exterior of appliances.

Checklist for the Livingroom: Be sure to Dust, Dust, Dust!

• Wipe down ceiling and ceiling fan and light switches
• Remove all stains on walls and baseboards
• Clean windows and windowsills
• Clean doorknobs, doorframes, and doors
• Remove and clean light fixtures
• Clean stains off the walls
• Vacuum and clean carpet and hardwood surfaces
• If possible, clean the window blinds and curtains
• Clean the interiors of cabinets, shelves, and drawers.

Make your move-out cleaning simpler.

Moving out can have a lot of steps and cleaning is an important one.

If it’s all a bit much, or if you’ve run out of time, you can always book an affordable, professional cleaner to help you. Find and reserve a professional cleaner online now.