No matter how clean your new home looked when you examined it before purchase, you’ll still want to clean and disinfect before you unpack your belongings. Despite a previous occupant’s efforts to clean before vacating, you never know what grime or germs might be lingering behind.
It’s much easier to clean your home before you move in any furniture or unpack your boxes. If you have the advantage of getting into your new home and taking care of the cleaning before you move in, you will be ahead of the game. If not, don’t worry, just don’t overlook the importance of cleaning before you get too settled.
The following are cleaning tasks to prioritize when moving into your new home.
Supplies You’ll Need
Before you get started, collect all the supplies you’ll need to expedite the process. Plan to have rubber gloves, sponges, buckets, cleaning products, cleaning rags, paper towels, scrub brushes, old toothbrushes (for those hard to reach or small stubborn spots), toilet scrubber, broom, mop, and vacuum.
Kitchen
You can put off some chores, but cleaning your kitchen should be done immediately. Ideally, you will want to get this accomplished before moving in any food, dishes, or silverware.
- Give the refrigerator a good sanitizing — remove the shelves and drawers to simplify cleaning and to be more thorough
- Dust the light fixtures and ceiling fans (this way, you can sweep up the dust when you clean the floor)
- Wash down walls and wipe around light switches and outlets
- Scrub the stove and dishwasher inside and out
- Disinfect sink and countertops
- Wipe down cabinets, inside and out (don’t forget handles)
Bathrooms
Cleaning bathrooms is one chore many of us dislike, but it’s got to get done. When moving into a home previously occupied, pay close attention to every detail in this room when cleaning and disinfecting because germs love bathrooms.
- Scrub toilet (plan to replace the toilet seat)
- Disinfect sink, bathtub, showerhead, and faucets
- Wash floor, including any nooks and crannies
- Disinfect storage under the sink, shelving, linen closet, etc.
- Wipe down light switches and any high-touch points
As you clean, check for any mold growth or excess condensation. If you find any, you’ll want to kill the mold and monitor to see if there is a condensation issue.
Other Rooms
After these two areas are thoroughly cleaned, turn an eye to other rooms. Wipe down window sills, doors, doorknobs, and walls. Give the light fixtures a good dusting or wipe-down as well. If you’ve got a laundry room, give this area a good cleaning treatment, sterilize the washing machine, and wipe down the dryer.
Carpets and Floors
Once you’ve got everything necessary cleaned, you’re ready to tackle the floors. For tile, linoleum, wood, or engineered tile floors, give them a good sweeping and then mop with a cleaner suited for that type of floor. Ideally, for carpets, you want to steam clean (either hire or do this yourself), unless you have verification they were steam-cleaned by the previous occupants. Then give all the carpets a good vacuum to remove any accumulated dust or dirt. Whatever type of floor you’re cleaning, remember to hit all edges and corners.
New Home
Moving into a new house or apartment is exciting. With a brand-new start, the thrill of arranging rooms is like no other. However, like all good goals, you need to do the work before reaping the rewards. When it comes to prepping for and moving into a new home, always begin with the basics – use muscle and elbow grease to give a good deep clean throughout the house to ensure your health, safety, and provide yourself a “feel-good” experience.
Do you need help with your move? Contact us for a free quote. We can get you to your new home stress-free.