A Cleaning Checklist For When You Move Home

It’s so exciting to move into a new home and to imagine all the great things you’ll do there with this fresh, new start. However, no matter how exciting it might be to do this, there are some things you need to tick off your to-do list before you leave your old home, no matter how keen you are to go. One of these – and in fact, it’s going to often be the last job you carry out there – is to thoroughly clean the property so that whoever is moving in after you will have a nice, clean house to enjoy.

If you think it’s not important to do this, imagine how you would feel if you got to your new place and no one had bothered to clean it; it wouldn’t be very pleasant. Plus, if you’re renting then you’ll want to make sure the property is deep cleaned so that you can ensure you get your deposit back. With all this in mind, here is a useful cleaning checklist to ensure you don’t forget some of the less obvious but still very important parts of cleaning your old home before you leave it for good. 

Check The Walls

Although strictly speaking this isn’t cleaning as such (although if you do notice any marks you might be able to wipe them away, and you’ll certainly be able to remove any cobwebs), it’s still a good idea to check all the walls in your property for any screws, nails, or other items that might have been used to hang picture frames and similar items. Take them all out and fill the holes so that the walls are smooth and clear. 

Deep Clean The Carpet

You might think that simply hoovering your carpet is enough, but that will only pick up the grime and dirt that can be seen. There will be plenty more that you can’t see, and of course, vacuuming is not going to remove stains or ground-in dirt. The only want to do this is to give your carpet a deep clean, and the best way to do that is to engage a professional carpet cleaning company to do it for you. 

It is possible to hire a carpet cleaning machine and tackle this job yourself, but when you’re got a lot of other things to consider because you’re moving and moving is a stressful time as it is, hiring a professional is often a better plan – the end result will be perfect, and it will save you a lot of time. 

Clean The Windows

It’s so easy to forget to clean your windows when you move – or in general, come to that – but it makes such a difference to the property, and will certainly make the new owners or tenants (or your landlord) feel good when they step inside. 

You can even make your own glass cleaner using water, vinegar, and lemon juice, and use an old newspaper as a cloth to remove streaks. If you can’t get to the outside of the windows safely, this is another time when it’s wise to hire an expert to help you. 

Clean The Inside Of The Oven

Assuming you’re leaving the oven behind when you move, you will probably remember to clean the outside of it, and the stovetop too. However, what about the inside? Because you might not open the oven to check, the inside of the oven can be missed when you’re ticking items off your cleaning rota before you leave. Unfortunately, the inside of the oven can be one of the dirtiest places in the house – certainly in the kitchen – and therefore it has to be tackled. 

It’s best not to leave this until the last minute because it is potentially a long job, depending on how grimy the oven is, so give yourself a few days’ grace, and don’t try to clean it on the day you’re meant to be moving out. 

The best way to clean the interior of the oven is to put a bowl of water in it and heat it for around 20 minutes at a high temperature (make sure the bowl is heat resistant). This will loosen some of the grease and grime and make it easier to wipe away once the oven is cool. If it’s been a long time since the oven was cleaned, you may need to repeat this process a number of times and employ a scraping tool to remove the debris.