Move In Cleaning

Moving into a new place is an exciting experience, but it can also be a lot of work. Moving your things and getting settled in can be a bit stressful, and although getting set up in a new place can be fun, there is a lot of work involved.

When you are getting ready to move to a new home, there are probably a lot of things on your to-do list, but there is one thing you may not have considered: move in cleaning. When you move in to a new apartment or house, you might assume that the interior was thoroughly cleaned upon the previous tenants' leaving. But even if an area looks clean, it may have only been given a quick cleaning that doesn't remove all dirt and build-up to meet your cleanliness standards.

Since you can't really be sure how clean a place is, you will probably need to take on some cleaning tasks yourself before getting settled in. Ideally, you can spend some time at the new place before moving anything in so you can easily clean without having anything in your way, but you can still make it work if you've already started the move.

One of the most important areas to clean before moving in is the kitchen. This is a place where you will be keeping food, utensils, and dishes, so you want it to be as neat and clean as possible. Start by cleaning out the cabinets and shelves with an all-purpose cleaner or disinfectant to ensure that all dirt and germs are removed. Wash the counters and mop the kitchen floor, then go over cabinet doors with a rag and some cleaner. Scrub out the sink, and make sure that any appliances, such as the oven, dishwasher, and refrigerator, have been thoroughly wiped out and cleaned before you use them.

Next, you will want to tackle the bathrooms. Using a bathroom cleaner, scrub the showers and tubs, clean the toilets and sinks carefully, and mop the floors. You will want to start out with a totally clean bathroom where you don't have to worry about messes from past tenants before you get moved in.

Chances are good that the carpets will have been cleaned before you move in. If so, vacuuming the floor before moving in is probably enough. But if the carpets are not spotless and clean, get a professional carpet cleaner in to do the job, or rent a shampooing machine. The last thing you want is to live with someone else's dirt after settling into your new place, so you will want very clean carpets.

To get the place really tidy, you can also clean the windows with glass cleaner and wash the walls with a rag and soapy water. You might be surprised by how dirty the walls are, so take the time to get old dirt and spots off of this surface. Now your new place should look great!