Cleaning

How to Clean When you Move In

Moving is probably one of the most stressful things to endure. From making sure you have everything packed to trying to find the right moving service, you have about a million things on your plate. And although you may just want to rush all your belongings inside and start putting them into place, you absolutely must clean your new home THOROUGHLY before you do anything else.

Now I’m not trying to be bossy, but cleaning before you move into a new place is so vital to the health and safety of your family, not to mention that it makes your place feel like “yours.” So today I’m going to give you a step-by-step guide on how to clean your new place when you move in. Let’s get started!
1. Clean the oven, behind the refrigerator, and other difficult kitchen spaces. This is the time to clean those things that you will NEVER clean again (well, until you move out that is.) Before you start putting dishes in the cupboards, wipe the cabinets on the inside with a damp microfiber towel and some cleaning agent if necessary. Pull out the kitchen appliances from the wall (if you can) and thoroughly clean behind them. If your oven is self-cleaning, turn that function on, but if not take a look at my post about cleaning the oven. Clean out the food pantry and inside the refrigerator. This will set you up for a clean and inviting home right away.

2. Wash the walls. Unless you have kids, this will probably be the only time you ever do this. Remove dirt and dust with a damp cloth. Once you’re done with that, you can start to wash the walls with a cleaning agent, such as a mixture of vinegar and water. Start with the upper left corner of each wall and move to the bottom right. This will take a while, but it’s worth it. Trust me.

3. Deep Clean the Bathroom. The bathroom is the integral part of the home. This is the room in your home where you clean and bathe yourself, so it better be up to some rigorous standards. Clean behind the toilet and the sink, as well as deep cleaning the tub, shower tile, and medicine cabinet. It might be a good idea to go ahead and trade out the toilet seat and shower head, just so you can have a fresh start. Also think about things like exhaust fan cleaning or tile floor cleaning.

4. Consider hiring a professional cleaning service. If you think about it, moving into a new place is the perfect time to hire someone for carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, or other home cleaning services that your new place might need.

I wish any and all of you who are making a move soon the best of luck, and I hope your new place is happy, healthy, and clean!