How to Clean a House Before Moving In
Whether you’re moving into a house, an apartment, or a rental, you’ll very possibly need to do some cleaning beforehand. Without proper cleaning, you risk exposing your family to irritants and illness.
Before you bring any boxes off the truck, clean these 7 locations and fixtures.
7 Things to Deep Clean in a House Before Moving In
This isn’t an exhaustive list of the things you need to clean, but we think these 7 locations and items are among the most important.
1. Kitchen Fixtures and Appliances: Cabinets, Stove, Refrigerator, and Counters
When it comes to fixtures and appliances in the kitchen, especially ones that will be used for food storage or preparation, you can’t take chances. Before breaking bread in your new-to-you kitchen:
- Follow our complete guide to refrigerator cleaning before moving on to cabinets or other appliances.
- For cabinets, use your vacuum’s hose to reach the back corners for crumbs or dust. Keep a close eye out for pests or rodent droppings!
- Once you’re satisfied with the vacuuming, use warm water and soap to wipe down the shelves, sides, and cabinet doors.
- Don’t just clean inside the refrigerators, stoves, etc.—make sure to move the ones you can (without hurting yourself or damaging the floor) and clean underneath, behind, and even inside the backs of them. Dust and hair get caught around the wheels and legs of appliances and often in intake filters. Check out our guide for more places in your kitchen that you might have forgotten.
2. Outlets and Switches
The oil, dirt, and germs on our hands often end up on switches as we enter and leave rooms and outlets as we plug and unplug devices.
Use a cleaning brush (or an old toothbrush) and rubbing alcohol. Wait 30 seconds after cleaning electrical outlets (rubbing alcohol dries quickly) before plugging anything in.
3. Bathroom Vents and Exhaust Fans
Before moving in, you’ll want to address your bathroom’s vents and exhaust fans. Without proper cleaning, they will circulate dust and other irritants. Start by removing the cover and cleaning it with a brush or microfiber duster. Then use the hose extension on your vacuum to suck up any cobwebs and dust balls. Ignoring vents and fans can lead to your family suffering from sinus and other respiratory issues, especially in young children.
4. Garage Floor and Shelves
Your new garage might be home to mice, rats, and insects, especially if it’s been a while since your home was occupied. Start by using a broom, leaf blower, or shop vac to clean up any cobwebs, dirt piles, or debris. Next, use a repellent (such as a sonic plug-in or a spray) to prevent pests from moving back into your home!
5. Light Fixtures
Dome lights, recessed lights, and other hard-to-reach fixtures are notoriously hard to clean! For recessed lighting, locate an extendable duster or attach a rag to a broom handle or yardstick to give yourself additional length.
For dome lights that need to be removed to clean, ensure any glass is allowed to dry thoroughly if you use glass cleaner or other cleaning solution before reinstalling. Residual water can lead to staining and, in extreme cases, even mold growth.
6. Windows, Mirrors, and Other Glass
Glass is an often-ignored surface in a home, but these surfaces can be surprisingly germy. Take the time to address streaks and use a sanitizing cleaning solution to remove germs and bacteria that build up over time. You can use a DIY cleaning solution or a store-bought glass cleaner to get clean mirrors, but you’ll need to use a separate cleaner for sanitization.
7. Ceiling Fan Blades
If your new home has gone unoccupied for a while, you’ll want to clean the ceiling fan before starting it up. If you can reach the blades with your hand, you can use a cloth or an old sock to wipe the dust off. For fans located out of reach, make sure you exercise caution with step ladders. We recommend using a duster with an extendable arm when possible.
For Move-In Cleaning Made Easy, Contact The Cleaning Authority
If all of this seems like a lot, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Contact The Cleaning Authority to schedule your pre-move-in cleaning to take some of these items off your list and a lot of the stress out of your moving day. Schedule a free estimate online or call (888) 658-0659.