If you’re ready to buy a home and move out of a rental, or, are selling your home and buying another, your primary focus will be on the next chapter in your life. One of the last things you’ll be enthusiastic about or even motivated to do is clean the place you’re leaving behind. For renters, this is a necessity to get back a deposit, and, for sellers, it’s common courtesy not to leave a mess for the next owners. Regardless of the situation, it’s not likely that you’re at-all excited about cleaning the place, but, it’s something you’ve got to do, nonetheless.
How to Clean after Moving Out
Moving will take quite a bit of time and effort, but, you’ll have to find the energy to tidy-up the place you’re leaving. The first step in this process should actually begin a few to a couple of weeks in advance of your moving day. You’ll need to schedule utilities to be turned off at the old placed and turned on in your new home. In addition, you should start to empty your refrigerator and freezer, eating the food so you don’t have to deal with it when you move.
“Err on the side of ‘too clean’ in order to prevent your deposit from being reduced. You don’t have to hire a professional carpet cleaning company or buy an expensive contraption to clean the carpeting yourself. But by all means, vacuum the floor, dust every surface, and consider wiping down the windows with a little glass cleaner. It doesn’t take long, and it leaves a good impression.” —Move.com
This is also a great time to get organized so you have a lighter load. If there’s a garage, be sure to get all of your stuff out. Start going through all your possessions and separate things you don’t need into three piles: stuff to donate, things to sell, and items to give away or just throw-out. Once you’ve boxed-up your possessions and have your furniture and belongings out of the home, then do the following to clean after moving out:
- Closets and storage spaces. Since these spaces are rarely organized and cleaned, you’ll probably find dust on the shelves and the floor in less than stellar condition. Take time to dust, vacuum, and wipe down the shelves and walls — going from top to bottom for the best results. You can use a dust cleaner on the shelving and TSP on the walls. Vacuum or sweep the floor clean to finish.
- Bedrooms. There are a lot of areas in the bedroom that should be cleaned. Go from top to bottom again, beginning with dusting any moulding, ceiling, and ceiling fan. Then move onto the window frames and glass — clean the door and its frame, too. Then, wipe down the walls (you can use a little TSP and water mixture) and be sure to clean the baseboards, as well as switch plates and outlet plates. Vacuum or sweep the floor thereafter.
- Common areas. The living room, dining room, and hallway should also be cleaned from top to bottom following the same method as the bedroom. In addition, clean the light fixtures and sliding glass doors.
- Kitchen. Start with the light fixture and then clean the window frame and glass. Wipe down the cabinet doors and then clean all the appliances. Clean and disinfect the countertops and finish up by cleaning the baseboards and floor. Remember to clean the sink and all the switch and outlet plates, as well.
- Bathrooms. You’ll do the almost the same thing for the bathroom as the kitchen but should also deep clean the shower and/or bathtub, as well as the sink and vanity. Clean the floor last to finish the bathroom.
If you have pets and are selling your home, you’ll want to make sure you don’t leave behind anything that’s unpleasant