Whether you are moving down the street or across the whole country, one thing is for sure—you’ll have to do the dreaded deep clean before you move out. If you are currently renting your home, you’ll want it as squeaky clean as possible to get your security deposit back. And if you own your home and are just moving on to a new one, you’ll want to make sure that your home is one that the new owners will be proud to move into. Read on to learn some great and perhaps unexpected ways to deep clean your home before you move on!
Hold Up Your End of the Deal
Whether you are selling or renting this home, there are likely some stipulations on how you should leave it. If you are renting, your lease may spell out expectations for wear and tear and damage. Your landlord may be able to help you, too. For example, if your landlord typically replaces carpeting between tenants, you won’t need to get the carpets professionally cleaned before you move out. Likewise, if you are selling your home to new owners, you’ll want to make sure your deep clean involves all the stipulations in your contract.
Be Fussy About the Floors
Your floors take a beating each and every day, between traffic, furniture moves and daily life. Before you leave, be sure to vacuum the whole home, and mop or steam clean hard floor surfaces like tile, laminate and wood. Whether you’re hoping to get your deposit back or are leaving your home for the new buyers, you’ll want your floors to be squeaky clean!
Tackle the Bathroom
Arguably the least fun room to clean in your whole home, your bathroom can get icky quick. Before you move out, make sure to scrub the toilets, remove shower curtains, bath mats and other accessories and thoroughly clean and disinfect all surfaces before you leave.
Clean Up That Kitchen
Even the cleanest kitchen could use a little tidying up. After all, once you’ve removed every last small appliance and plate from your kitchen, you may see things you never noticed before. Wipe down all of your cabinets and countertops with an all-purpose cleaning solution and scrub down appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers and stoves. Make sure to clean the insides of refrigerators, microwaves and ovens. This is also a great opportunity to pull out your appliances and clean behind them, and at the same time check for anything s that may have been dropped.
Don’t Forget the Windows
During your rush to get packed and out of your home, it might be easy to overlook windows and window treatments. Don’t forget to pack up curtains or other window treatments if they aren’t meant to stay, and while you’re at it, wipe down the windows with a glass cleaner to make them shine. Nothing makes a room look better than natural light, which will give your landlord or the new owner a great impression when they walk in.
Make Sure You Have Everything That’s Yours
One of the worst times to realize you’ve forgotten to pack something is when there is already a new resident in previous home! Avoid this by taking stock of all your belongings before you lock the door for the last time. After all the boxes have been packed up in the moving van, take one final look around the home to make sure everything that is yours has been removed. Open drawers, check on top of cabinets and search under everything. Also, make sure you don’t accidentally pack away things that now legally belong to the new owners, such as curtain rods. Also, if you have made any concessions to the new homeowners, such as leaving behind a certain piece of furniture or washer and dryer, ensure that your movers haven’t packed them by mistake.
Moving to your next home exciting, and the NC Housing Finance Agency has resources that can help make it affordable, too! Learn more about all the resources the NC Housing Finance Agency has for buyers and renters at www.nchfa.com.
