Keeping your home or business clean can be challenging, but over the years of keeping a shop clean and cleaning my house, I have learned a lot about cleaning. I've learned how to clean in order to impress clients, and I've learned how to keep my house clean in spite of children bringing in dirt and mess all the time. I love to write so decided to start this blog. Here, I am going to share a range of cleaning tips with an emphasis on the "old school", homemade or natural tips. However, sometimes, truthfully, you need chemicals and professionals so I will also delve into those topics. Thanks for reading and good luck with cleaning.
Old School Cleaning Tips and Ideas for Businesses and Families
Exiting a Rental Property - Cleaning Checklist
Marta Vicente
If you're moving out of a rental property and don't like the sound of losing your bond, you need to ensure you left the home in exactly the same state (if not better) that you found it in. It is therefore important that you remember to clean everything in the house. You'll be surprised how many owners forget the simple things in the crazy rush of trying to pack and move.
When it comes to renting or even purchasing a property, people will often have very different standards as to what would constitute 'clean'. For some, it's a quick wipe-over with a damp cloth, but for others, it's a military operation involving every cleaning spray bottle and fluid known to man. When you move out of your rental property, its wise to ensure you've allowed for every eventuality.
Here is the cleaning checklist for when you're exiting a rental property:
1 - Floors
If you have wooden floors, you're going to need to clean it properly with a good quality wood-specific floor cleaner. If it has a glossy finish, make sure you give it a good varnish too. This will ensure that any scratches or dents aren't as visible but also to make it look nice for the next prospective tenant. You wouldn't appreciate it if you moved into a dirty house.
If you have carpets, hire a carpet cleaning company. By the time you've hired a carpet cleaner or asked around friends and family to borrow one, as well as paying out for the expensive solutions, you'll wish you'd cut your losses and just called a professional in the first place.
Make sure you read your rental contract. Some rental companies specify that when you move out, you should employ the cleaning services from a reputable company to get a high-quality deep clean.
2 - Walls
Make your way from the top of the wall to the bottom, spot-cleaning dirty marks. Unless the walls are especially dirty (look behind a photo on the wall to see any discoloration), you don't need to wipe them all down, but it is polite to do so.
You could also consider giving the wall a once-over with a lick of fresh paint, although you won't be under obligation to do so as long as you haven't altered the original appearance.
Make sure you clean the windows as well as the window frames, air conditioning vents, insect screens, doors and door frames, ceiling coving, etc. Give the curtains a wash too. You'll be amazed how dirty they could be if you haven't washed in them in a long time.
3 - Ceiling
Make sure you brush and dust away any cobwebs and clean all light fixtures and fittings. Put new bulbs in the lights that have blown and make sure you give ceiling fans a dust down too. Don't forget those air conditioning vents again. This does sound like a lot of work, but remember you have lived in this house for a while, and there's a good chance certain areas are going to be much grubbier than you anticipated.
4 - Kitchen
You need to make sure you pay extra special attention to your kitchen because this is the room that has the potential to be much dirtier than others despite your rigorous cleaning regime.
The over and cooker will need to be cleaned as well as the range hood and filters. Make sure you've cleaned inside, outside and on top of cabinets and cupboards, and don't forget about the sink and taps too. Wall tiles will need to be washed as well as splash-backs. Things like your fridge will need to be thoroughly cleaned if you're leaving them behind. You should move them away from their original position to give underneath and behind them a good scrub.
If anything feels greasy, you haven't done a good enough job.
Don't forget about the wall, floor and ceilings too.
5 - Bathroom
Make sure that everything has been scrubbed clean with a high-quality cleaner and black mould / mildew remover. This means the toilet, sink, shower, bath, floor, walls and ceilings. You should put plug-hole unblocker or cleaner down and ensure that grouting between tiles on the walls and floors are back to their original colour.
6 - Back yard
This will very much depend on the time of year. It's not easy to cut the grass in the middle of winter when rain is pouring down and it's freezing cold. At the very least you should make sure you've taken everything out that belongs to you, including inside the shed and garage or workshop too. Where possible, give gardens a good weed and mow the lawn.
The front yard of your house should be cleaned also. Make sure there are no weeds or garbage lying around.
You can hire cleaning services and carpet cleaning companies to make this task an easier one especially if you are trying to get everything down in a short space of time. Perhaps it's time to admit that you might need a hand with completion after all?
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