Moving can be a super big task. By the time you box up all of your family’s belongings and move them to your new home, it can be a daunting task to clean the house that you are leaving behind. Whether you live in an apartment or a 5 bedroom house, this simple checklist will help keep you on task.
What you will need:
- Magic Eraser
- Toothpaste
- Hammer/Screwdriver
- Dish Soap
- Comet or other powder cleaner
- Oven Cleaner
- Multi Purpose Cleaner
- Windex
- Sponges
- Rags
- Broom/Dustpan
- Mop
- Carpet Cleaner
- Mop Solution
- Trash Bags
- Light Bulbs
- Toothbrush
Step 1 – Walls
Using a hammer or a screwdriver, remove any nails and staples from the walls in the home. If there is an excessive amount of holes, you can fill those holes up with plain toothpaste if the walls are white in color. The toothpaste will dry white to help hide all of those holes. If you have darker walls, you may want to add some touch up paint. Clean up the walls by using a magic eraser (test it first on a small space to make sure it works well on your walls).
Step 2 – Kitchen
Spray the Oven Cleaner inside of the oven (read the directions on the can and do NOT turn on the oven while the solution is working). NOTE: This treatment requires that you let the Oven Cleaner sit for a very long period of time. If you prefer to not use the chemical, you can make your own oven cleaner by mixing together 5 Tablespoons of baking soda, 4 Tablespoons vinegar, and 3 drops Dawn dish soap. Mix together and apply the paste to the interior of the oven. Let it sit for 15 minutes then wipe away.
Fill the sink with hot water and dish soap. Clean all of the shelves and drawers in the refrigerator (if it stays with the home) with hot soapy water and a sponge. Dry the shelves before replacing them. Remove any ice from the automatic ice maker and pour it down the sink. Clean the ice bucket and wipe out the interior of the freezer.
Wipe out the interior of the cabinets and the exterior of the cabinets.
Check the light fixtures for any dead bugs and wipe down the exterior of the light fixtures.
Wipe down the exterior of the refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, and counter tops. Wipe the interior of the dishwasher and if there is a microwave that stays with the house, wipe the exterior and interior of the microwave. Windex works really well to clean these items on the exterior and interior.
Drain the sink and wipe it down. If there are hard water stains, use vinegar and lemon to remove them. You can also use a toothbrush to get into hard to reach areas around the sink with a powder cleaner such as Comet.
Step 3 – Bathrooms
Clean the interior and exterior of all of the cabinets. Add toilet cleaner to the toilet and let it set. Scrub the bathtub using a powder cleaner or by using this homemade cleaner: Make a paste with ½ cup of Baking Soda and Water. Then Add ½ Teaspoon of Dawn Blue Dishwashing Detergent. Scrub your tub with it and it will come out sparkling in the end. For hard water stains use vinegar and lemon to remove them. Scrub the sink. Wipe out the medicine cabinets and counter tops. Scrub the toilets and wipe the top, bottom, lid and seat of the toilet with all purpose cleaner. Clean the mirrors with Windex. Wipe off light fixtures.
Step 4 – Bedrooms
Wipe down any built in shelves in the closet. Clean any mirrors. Wipe off ceiling fan blades, blinds, and window sills.
Step 5 – Living Room, Den, Dining Room, Utility room, Entry Way
Wipe down any built in cabinets, fireplace, ceiling fan blades, baseboards, and light fixtures. Sweep and mop any non-carpeted areas. Spot clean carpets and vacuum.
Step 6 – Exterior
Walking around the exterior of the property pick up any debris or garbage. Make sure the lawn is mowed and ready for the next tenants/owners. Sweep all sidewalks, driveway, porches, and decks.
Step 7 – Floors
Sweep and mop any non-carpeted floors in the house. Spot treat carpet and vacuum thoroughly.
Step 8 – Light Bulbs
Go through the house and confirm that all light bulbs are working. If any are burned out, replace them before you leave.
Step 9 – Garage
Sweep and make sure all trash is in the trashcans provided by the community.
Step 10 – Pictures
We recommend that you take pictures of the home to show the condition it was left in. That way if anyone ever comes back to say that it was not cleaned as it should have been, you have some pictures that shows the home in the condition that it was left. You can e-mail these pictures to your agent for backup.
Pinterest is a great resource for homemade cleaning supplies if you prefer to use that method. You can also search how to clean certain hard to clean areas as well.
