Moving into a new house is exciting yet stressful. While you might be eager to unpack your belongings and decorate your new space, you understandably need a blank canvas to work with.
Unfortunately, many houses are not left perfectly spotless by previous occupants. Even if you are moving into a brand-new home, the property may not be as clean as you might initially think it would be. Cleaning your house before moving in is essential. What are the important steps to take when you clean your house before moving day?
Why Cleaning Before Moving in Is Important
When you clean ahead of time, you are assured that your home is pristine from day one. The easiest way to thoroughly clean your new home is before you unload the moving truck. You can easily access every square inch of the flooring, clean the cabinets and drawers and wipe down other areas when your furniture and belongings aren’t obstacles.
The next time you give your home a deep cleaning, you will need to move the furniture around to access the walls, flooring and more. This makes it more difficult to fully clean your space.
What to Clean When Moving into a New House
While deep cleaning before moving into your house is important, the good news is that many of the common deep cleaning steps aren’t required.
For example, you won’t need to clean out closets and organize drawers. Decluttering isn’t a concern. Nonetheless, a pre-move-in cleaning session needs to be thorough. To ensure you cover all of the bases, focus on these areas.
Start with High-Touch Surfaces
High-touch areas include light fixtures, appliance handles, doorknobs, cabinetry knobs and pulls. Other areas include faucets and toilet handles. These areas are often overlooked when cleaning a home, and they can be grimy with germs.
In fact, many real estate agents and potential buyers or renters may have walked through the home and touched these areas since the house was last cleaned. For many surfaces, using a diluted bleach spray or a diluted vinegar spray and a cloth will do the trick.
Tackle the Kitchen
Disinfect the kitchen counters and stovetop using a cleaner that is safe for the material. For example, don’t use vinegar or bleach to clean natural stone counters. Then, turn your attention to the sink and garbage disposal. Baking soda and lemon juice are effective for these areas.
Pull out the fridge and oven, and clean behind them. Then, focus on cleaning the interior of the oven, fridge and microwave. To finish the job, wipe down the pantry as well as the interior and exterior of the cabinetry and drawers.
Deep Clean the Bathrooms
Start by making a baking soda and water paste for the tub, shower stall and grout. Apply this paste to these areas and let it sit for 30 minutes. While you wait, focus on sanitizing the toilet and toilet bowl. Wipe down the interior and exterior of the drawers, cabinets and medicine cabinet.
Clean the mirror and counters. Then, turn your attention back to the tub, shower stall and grout. Spray the paste with white vinegar. Then, scrub clean before rinsing.
Clean Floors from Top to Bottom
Before cleaning the floors, focus your attention on the light fixtures and ceiling fans. Dust these features carefully. Then, vacuum the carpeting, and pay special attention to the edges near the baseboards. Use the handheld brush attachment to clean the baseboards.
Depending on the type of hard flooring in the home, use a steam mop, damp mop or dry mop. Because these may be surfaces that you are not familiar with, always research care instructions first to avoid damage.
Don’t Forget Walls and Windows
Many people overlook cleaning walls and windows regularly, so you can’t be certain when these areas were last cleaned by the previous occupant. Use a long-handled duster to wipe down every inch of the walls and ceiling throughout the home.
Remember to clean the windowsills, too. To clean the windows, use distilled vinegar and a microfiber cloth.
Check and Clean Air Vents & Filters
Commonly, people don’t replace air filters and clean vents before moving out. When these features are dirty, your home’s indoor air quality is impacted. This can result in respiratory conditions, and it can increase the challenge of keeping your home clean on a week-by-week basis.
Plus, your HVAC system will not work as efficiently. This places additional strain on the system, leading to higher energy bills and potentially more repair problems. Dust off the air vents, and replace the HVAC air filter on day one.
Why Hiring Professional Cleaners Is Worth It
While deep cleaning an empty house is easier to do than deep cleaning an occupied home filled with your belongings, it is still a major project. Loading and unloading a truck, unpacking boxes, arranging furniture and organizing your new home are exhausting. Plus, you may be under a time crunch to set up your new home before you start a new job or before the kids start a new school. Hiring professional cleaners ensures that the work is done right, and it helps you stay on track with your moving schedule.
Whether you’re moving into a new home or out of your current residence, cleaning is essential. Moving is a major challenge that can leave you feeling stressed and exhausted, and cleaning adds to the hassle. With move in cleaning in Boston from TidyHere, you can cross cleaning off of your to-do list. Schedule service with the TidyHere team today.
