When you move into a new home, although you hope that it has been cleaned by the previous resident, there is always a chance germs are still lingering. You want to move into a clean home where you won’t feel paranoid about the germs left behind. Therefore, a thorough cleaning is called for—ideally, just before you move in.
Here, we provide the ultimate checklist for what you need to clean in a new home.
The Bathroom
This is the obvious place to start. Make your way down from the ceiling, dusting from top to bottom. This removes dust and stuff like pet dander.
Next, wipe down the shiny surfaces like windows and mirrors using a good window cleaner. A bleach spray should be used on shower stall glass, but it will leave streaks, so follow up by rinsing the bleach and then finishing with a good window cleaner.
Tackle the toilet, sink, and tub with a bleach cleaner, and anything that seems to be stained can be followed up with a good bathroom abrasive cleaner and brush. Never mix a bathroom cleaner on top of another bathroom cleaner, as this causes a reaction that releases poisonous gases. Finally, wipe down the counter and vanity with an all-purpose cleaner, and then wipe knobs and pulls with bleach wipes.
Give the floor a good cleaning with your Swiffer and you’re good to go. You’ll also want to replace that toilet seat. Yuck.
The Kitchen
The kitchen is also a place where germs and smells tend to linger. Take the same approach, starting with a good dusting from top to bottom. In the kitchen, you’ll also want to clean the walls as they probably have residue from past cooking.
A mix of liquid dish detergent and warm water works well; then, wipe walls down with a clean damp cloth to remove soapy residue. If the walls seem sticky, use an abrasive sponge to remove the grime. Wipe down the cabinet and knobs using an all-purpose cleaner; then, open the shelves and remove crumbs and clean them. You can add some shelf liners once you are done.
Be sure that you are using a wood-appropriate cleaner if your cabinets are made of wood. Open all the drawers and vacuum them out, or take them off their rollers and shake out the crumbs. Use a counter-appropriate cleaner to wipe everything down to remove any possible bacteria that can make you sick.
Then, clean the backsplash. Scrub the sink with an abrasive cleanser or use baking soda with some vinegar or lemon. Then, dump a bit of baking soda down the drain to remove odours. Lastly, sweep and mop the floor.
Appliances
If you have a self-cleaning oven, turn it on while you work. Wipe down the inside of your fridge so it is ready for your food, and then clean the outside of the fridge and stove. Pull out the bin drawers in the fridge and wash them with dishwashing liquid, and line them with a paper towel to absorb spills and juices.
If you have a dishwasher, run an empty cycle using a dishwasher cleaner. Once the oven is finished its clean cycle, let it cool, and then remove the racks and wash them using dishwashing liquid and warm water. Rinse them thoroughly.
If you have a glass-top stove, you can use a scraper to remove anything caked on. Baking soda and lemon work well too. If it is electric, remove the elements and clean below, and then put the elements back in. The oven hood might be quite sticky with grease, so use a grease remover to get rid of the residue. It should also have a removable filter that you can wash in the sink with dish detergent and warm water.
Don’t scrub too hard or you can warp it, and it will have to be replaced. If the filter is filthy, opt to replace it instead. Don’t forget the drawer under the oven. This tends to get pretty crumby and filled with spills. You can vacuum it out and then wipe it down with an all-purpose cleaner.
The Floors
Cleaning the floors depends on what type you have. Here are tips for the most common floor types:
Carpet: You might consider hiring a professional steam cleaner if having this done wasn’t a term of your home purchase or mentioned by your landlord. This will remove anything unpleasant left behind, so you have a nice fresh carpet. If it was steam-cleaned, just give it a good vacuuming to remove the dust and dirt left by the movers trudging through the home.
Hardwood/laminate: Give your wood or laminate floors a good sweep, and if they seem dirty, use an appropriate cleaner to get them looking like new. Laminate floors cannot be soaked with water and detergent as it can damage them. A Swiffer makes a good choice, as they only spritz a small amount of a mild cleaning solution.
Other hard floors: Sweep other hard floors (such as tile) to remove debris, and then use a wet mop and cleaning solution suited to that floor type.
Since this is such a big job, you might consider hiring our move-in cleaning service to take care of the cleaning for you. We can come in while you’re loading up your items from your old home, and be finished when you start to move in. Speak to our team at Maid4Condos today by contacting us online. You can also reach us by phone at 647-822-0601.
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