Cleaning Your New Home

Purchasing a new home is an exciting journey. You might be eager to move in once you finally get the keys after completing all the paperwork. The excitement might make you forget to consider whether you should clean a house before moving in. Many people may not consider doing a moving day cleaning, but doing so can offer many benefits.

A house cleaning before move in ensures your new home is truly spotless. When the house is empty, cleaning all the corners and crevices you normally can’t reach is easy. Check out this guide to learn how to deep clean a house before moving in and the associated benefits.

The Benefits of a New Home Cleaning

Cleaning your new home offers many benefits, including:

• Freshening up your home: Even if the previous owners cleaned the house before they moved, their standards for cleanliness might not match yours. Plus, it may not have been a priority amidst the packing, and it’s easy to overlook areas that could use touching up. A deep cleaning ensures your home is fresh and clean, with no leftover residues or odors.
• Establishing a cleanliness standard: Cleaning your home before you move in sets your cleanliness standard. A benchmark for cleanliness keeps specific cleaning details at the forefront of your mind, like cleaning behind the stove once a month.
• Removing dust: When you move in without cleaning, you could stir up dust. Once the dust particles settle, they could damage your electronics, causing reliability problems and device failures.
• Creating a healthy environment: Deep cleaning your home will remove germs and create a healthy environment for you and your family.
• Saving time: After deep cleaning, you can establish habits to keep your home clean and wait a few weeks before cleaning again. This saves you from having to dedicate time to cleaning your home soon after moving in.

How to Clean Before Moving In

It’s easier to clean your house when you know what areas to focus on. Here is a room-by-room guide on how to clean your new home before moving in.

Bathrooms

Your bathrooms are the logical place to begin cleaning because you will probably need to use them when moving in. The steps for deep cleaning the bathrooms are as follows:

1. Clean the ceiling: Use a duster to clean the corners, ceiling, vents, fans and light fixtures.
2. Clean the mirrors and windows: Wipe the mirrors and windows with a glass cleaner. You can use an all-purpose cleaner to clean the windowsill. If any mold is present, you can use a mixture of one part bleach and three parts warm water and a sponge and remove it. Place the sponge in a plastic bag after cleaning and throw it away. Vacuum any blinds, then clean them with warm, soapy water.
3. Clean the cabinets and closet: Clean the inside and outside of any cabinets with an all-purpose cleaner. Pay attention to any hardware, like pulls, knobs and handles. If there is a closet in your bathroom, dust it and wipe down the racks with an all-purpose cleaner.
4. Clean the tub and shower: You want to be thorough when cleaning the tub and shower. Follow the steps in this guide to clean your bathtub until it sparkles.
5. Clean the toilet: Start by cleaning the toilet bowl with a toilet brush and cleaner. Use a sponge and disinfecting cleaner to clean the outside, handles and back.
6. Clean the sink: An all-purpose cleaner will clean the sink and its fixtures well. You can use an old toothbrush to clean the seams and openings.

Kitchen

Once the bathrooms are clean, shift your focus toward the kitchen. The kitchen requires as much attention as the bathrooms. To deep clean the kitchen, you should:

1. Clean the ceiling: Like with the bathroom, you will want to use a duster to dust the ceiling, light fixtures, corners, vents and fans.
2. Clean the walls: Grease, fingerprints and other residues can collect on the kitchen walls. Use warm, soapy water to clean and remove any stains from the walls.
3. Clean the cabinets and drawers: You can use an all-purpose cleaner to clean the cabinets and drawers on the inside and outside. Wipe down any hardware, such as hinges and handles.
4. Clean the countertops: Not every countertop is the same. Different countertop types require different methods of cleaning. Follow the steps in this guide to clean your countertops. Make sure you clean between cracks using a putty knife. You can clean backsplashes with baking soda and water or a gentle cleaner.
5. Clean the appliances: It’s almost certain that the previous owners used the appliances in your home. Different spills can accumulate in and on the appliances, so you’ll want to clean them all. Wipe down the inside and outside of the appliances with appliance-specific cleaners. For instance, use an oven cleaner to clean the oven. Remove any racks and drawers and wash them. Then, move the appliances out of the way and clean behind them. Check out this guide for more details on deep cleaning the oven in your new home.
6. Clean the sink: Use a mixture of bleach and water to spray the sink. Let it sit for a while before rinsing it thoroughly. Make sure you bleach any drain plugs and freshen the garbage disposal if you have one.
7. Clean the floors: Sweep and mop the floors.

Bedrooms and Living Room

The bedrooms and the living room are easier to clean than the kitchen and bathrooms. To clean the bedrooms and the living room, you should:

1. Clean the ceilings: Dust the ceiling fan, light fixtures and corners.
2. Clean the walls: If you notice any dirty areas on the walls, use warm, soapy water to clean them.
3. Clean the baseboards and trim: There may be areas on the baseboards and trim that have dust and dirt, which you’ll want to clean.
4. Clean the windows: Use a glass cleaner to clean the window and an all-purpose cleaner to clean the windowsill.
5. Clean the floors: Finish cleaning the bedrooms and the living room by vacuuming or sweeping and mopping the floors.

Let Rent Maids Clean Your Home Before You Move In

Moving into a new home can be exhausting. Sometimes, you don’t want to add deep cleaning to your growing to-do list. It’s important to deep clean your home before moving in, but you don’t have to be the one to do it. Let Rent Maids help you deep clean your new home.

Rent Maids offers professional cleaning services in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. We take pride in our work and reputation. There are many benefits to hiring a professional cleaning service — one of the most essential being that it allows you to focus on moving into a healthy, fresh and clean home. Use our calculator today to receive a cleaning estimate and schedule services.