In the past, people used to live in the same house for many generations. Therefore they made efforts to buy real estate or lands to build on. Nowadays, things have changed, and the young generation prefers to rent their homes as this offers them more flexibility. For example, if you get a great job opportunity in another city, you won’t hesitate to take it. However, when you rent a place, you sign a contract and pay a deposit, so when you decide to move out, it’s essential to carefully reread those terms and conditions to get your money back. Generally speaking, if you have no outstanding debts on the utility bills and you clean up the place properly, the landlord will have no complaints. So, here are the six cleaning mistakes that you might be making during the moving process.
No. 1 Not being well-organized
Doing a thorough cleaning before moving out of a place is not an easy job, and can be very time-consuming. Therefore, you should make a plan. When you do that, take into consideration the following aspects:
Don’t schedule it for the day of the move. Moving day is stressful enough, so don’t pile on. Schedule everything in advance and leave only small tasks for moving day.
Remove everything you can before beginning the cleaning process. If the place is full of moving boxes, bags, and furniture, cleaning it will be impossible. Therefore, it’s essential to clear it up as much as possible before you start, and experts can give a hand with that. So just look for a company that provides moving services and, ideally, storage services, since you should keep in mind the fact that you also have to clean your new home before filling it up with all your belongings.
Plan something for your kids and pets. In the middle of all the moving chaos and the exhausting cleaning, the last thing you need is kids and pets running around, making the tasks even harder. So just ask a family member or a friend to look after them for a little while.
Get everything out of the way before you start cleaning
No. 2 Not having a regular cleaning schedule
You can make your life easier by setting up a regular cleaning schedule. By either cleaning the entire place every two weeks or schedule each room for a different day. You will have less work to do by cleaning regularly before moving out. Plus, this can extend the lifespan of your home.
No. 3 Not using the top-down approach
This is a golden rule that you should always keep in mind, regardless of whether you’re moving or not. When you clean a place, you should always start with the items closest to the ceiling and gradually move down. If you do it the other way around, all the dust on top of the furniture will land on your freshly swept floor, and you will have to start again.
No. 4 Not cleaning the kitchen and the bathroom properly
When you move out of a rental, you should thoroughly clean the kitchen and bathroom since this will make a big difference when it comes to getting your deposit back. Here are a few items that people usually forget about or don’t consider important:
The dishwasher. Many people don’t even know this, but dishwashers need to be cleaned regularly because many bacteria can accumulate inside them. The best trick here is to run one dishwasher cycle with vinegar. Afterward, you can place a cup of baking soda inside it and leave it there for an entire day to eliminate the smell of vinegar.
The oven. Nobody enjoys cleaning the oven since it’s very time-consuming because of all the fat that has accumulated inside it over time. But be assured that your landlord will notice if you don’t clean it. For this particular task, it’s essential to have the right cleaning products to make your job easier.
The top of the fridge. It might sound funny, but just think about it for a second – have you ever bothered to clean up there?
Behind the toilet. This is another example of a small detail that is often forgotten, and the truth is that a lot of dirt can accumulate there.
Clean the oven thoroughly with the proper cleaning products
No. 5 Forgetting about the windows and walls
Landlords pay close attention to details, but the windows and walls are the first things that stand out when entering a semi-empty place, so avoid these cleaning mistakes:
To get streak-free windows, you should always clean them on cloudy days because sunshine makes it impossible to see the stains.
The walls must be checked for any holes and repaired before moving out. If there are a lot of stains, you have the option to repaint, but that is very time-consuming, so schedule it in advance.
One of the cleaning mistakes that should be avoided is forgetting about the windows
No. 6 Not asking for help and leaving too much for the last day
Firstly, if you decide to do all the cleaning on your own before moving out, this can be extremely stressful and overwhelming. Therefore it’s important to ask family members or friends for help. Besides, this way it will take less time.
Secondly, to ensure a smooth process and have a successful moving day, leave only small details for the actual day of the move. For example, after you remove all your belongings from the rental, you can sweep and mop the floors one more time and check every room to ensure everything is in order and nothing was forgotten.
Conclusion
In the chaos of moving from one place to another, it’s important to be well-organized about everything, including cleaning the rental before moving out. This is particularly important since otherwise, your landlord might refuse to give your deposit back. Therefore, try to avoid the aforementioned six cleaning mistakes, and you will make your life easier.
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