Tips For Cleaning – Preparing To Move Out of Your Property

Are you searching for some tips for cleaning?

Moving house is often described as one of the most stressful things any of us will ever do.

In the UK, the average number of house moves is eight in a lifetime, however, this increases to eleven if you live in the USA.

Moving to a new home can be a daunting task for many people!

Having to arrange shipping or storage of your valuables and possessions can add to the overwhelming nature of relocating.

It is a very good idea to be as prepared as possible to clean your property once the big day comes.

Whilst cleaning is a somewhat time-consuming task, it is an imperative part of moving!

As such, it is important to be well prepared for the cleaning process.

We hope this article will help you look at cleaning from a logical point of view.

By breaking down the top cleaning tips, we hope to make the moving house process run as smoothly as possible.

Cleaning your property can also bring several other benefits.

This includes saving time and ensuring you efficiently pack each room in your old home.

Cleaning your property is made a lot easier once all large furniture has been packed for the move.

Some removals companies also offer cleaning services, so be sure to enquire with them if this is something that interests you.

Depending on your current living situation each person will require different cleaning tips.

In this article, we have broken down the cleaning process into two sections, homeowners and renters.

To ensure you are as prepared as possible for the task, here are our top tips for cleaning!

Cleaning Your Sold Property

Vacating your property and leaving it in as clean a state as possible is not as easy as it sounds.

When you are moving out it is not mandatory or law to ensure that the property is left spotless and there are not really any written guidelines to follow either. However, it is a courtesy which most of us try to fulfil as best we can.

There are so many things going on both emotionally and physically when you are moving out which require your immediate attention that cleaning the home is more often left until the last moment.

Unfortunately, it is not until the last box has been packed and loaded and the house is left empty, and you are left pretty much frazzled, that you realise now it is literally “all hands on deck” to clean the place.

How can we make the last minute clean up a little bit easier?

Hiring a professional cleaning company is one of the best options.

They know exactly what to do, they have all the heavy-duty cleaning equipment and experience to get the job done with minimal fuss.

A professional cleaning company can specifically tailor a package just for you. They can clean as much or as little as you like – carpets, ovens, inside cupboards, toilets, and bathrooms etc. all the jobs you don’t have time to do.

The drawback here of course is going to be the cost.

There are plenty of companies out there who will give you a quote if you want to take the strain out of your move.

Tackling the job yourself will save money, but, you cannot hope to deep clean everything on the day you move out all by yourself.

Planning your “self-clean” is essential and needs to start several weeks beforehand.

If you do decide to go it alone, here are a few ideas you might want to implement to ensure that you are not left out of time (or energy) at the last minute!

Helpful tips

• From the get-go, factor cleaning the property into the last day of your move.
• Make sure you have a box put aside with all the cleaning equipment you will need and clearly label it “not to be packed” and don’t forget the hoover.
• Defrosting freezers is another job which is often overlooked and impossible to do at the last minute.  A couple of weeks before you move out, run down the contents of your freezer, or give items away so that you have time to defrost and clean it properly.
• Another job which you can do around a week in advance is tackle the garden. Mow the lawn and clean any outside space ensuring all rubbish is disposed of.
• Clean all windows inside and out.
• Thoroughly cleaning the toilets and bathrooms a day or two before means that on moving day itself all you need to do is give them a quick wipe round.
• As the removal team empty each room, you can go in behind them wiping down skirting boards, cupboards, or any dusty surfaces.
• Wash the kitchen and bathroom floors. This will need to be done once the removal team have left. No point doing this job the day before, especially so if on the day it is raining.
• The very last job should be to hoover all rooms thoroughly. Pay particular attention to ordinarily hard to get to places such as under the beds.  
• A final quick spray round with a fragranced air freshener will leave a nice clean smell in each room.

Rental Property

It is a totally different affair when it comes to vacating a home that you have been leasing.

For those who have sold a home, there is no financial benefit to leaving the house clean but for those who are vacating a rental home, there certainly is.

The end of tenancy cleaning is the single biggest cause of deposit deductions!

However, these are totally avoidable with a little planning and forethought.

Your tenancy contract will almost definitely state that “the property must be handed back in exactly the same order it was in when you first took it over” while accounting for general wear and tear.

Failure to do this will result in a lost deposit. The landlord is also within their rights to hire a cleaning company and charge you for the costs. It is in your interest to leave everything clean and in good order.        

Hiring a cleaning company is always an option and sometimes a requirement.

But if you decide to tackle the job yourself leave plenty of time.

It always takes longer than you think!

It is often arduous work even more so if you have been renting a family-sized home.

Helpful Tips:

• Before you start, read the inspection inventory/report (you should have been given a copy of this document when you moved in).
• Work room by room checking everything. It is your responsibility to match the quality you see in the report. Making sure each item you see on the checklist is cleaned and undamaged.
• Have you hung pictures on the walls? If so, holes need to be filled and painted over.
• Check the carpets, do they need just a quick hoover, or do you need to clean any stains?
• The kitchen is going to be one room which needs particular attention. Defrosting freezers, cleaning dishwashers, and washing machines are all jobs which have to be done.
• Once the contents of cupboards and drawers have been packed, these will also need wiping out thoroughly.
• Bathrooms and toilets are other important areas which have to be given particular attention.
• Floors and all surfaces need to be free of any dirt, dust, or grease.
• Windows will need to be cleaned and any outside space left neat and tidy.
• Bins must be emptied and washed.

What Next?

Once you have cleaned the property, take plenty of photos as evidence in case of any discrepancies.

Following the original inventory list and making sure that nothing has changed, is the best way to be sure that you get your deposit back.

The downside to cleaning yourself is that we all have different standards. You may think that you have done a great job but someone else might not agree.

Sadly, there are some horror stories.

Some tenants have been falsely accused of not leaving the property in good order.

If at all possible, when the landlord or his representative come to do the final “move out inventory checks”, try to attend too as it’s easier to discuss irregularities there and then in person.

Bearing all this in mind, leaving the house or flat spotless as you leave means you will not only get your deposit refunded in full.

If you are going on to rent another property, you get the added bonus of a great reference!

A Clean House Ready for Your Move

So, you’ve followed our top cleaning tips and your house is sparkling clean ready for your move!

With the right planning, supplies and our useful guide, the cleaning process should be straightforward, leaving you with an immaculate property.

If you have opted to use a removals company’s cleaning services check out our article highlighting everything you need to know when choosing a removals company.

Hopefully these tips for cleaning help your move run as smoothly as possible!