6 Areas to Clean Before Moving Out

When relocating to a new house, cleaning the old one before moving out is a must! It makes no difference if the property is yours or rented; leaving it clean is equally important. And we’re not talking only about window cleaning, dusting, and mopping, but about those details that you might overlook. It’s normal to forget when you are split between house hunting, packing, and finding the right furniture movers. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We’ve put together a list of 6 areas to clean before moving out to ensure you leave the property immaculate. It will make a good impression on your home buyers or your former landlord. 

Let’s start with the inside of the house and see which areas require a thorough cleaning.

1 – The kitchen

Even if your kitchen appears clean at first glance, if you look closely, you may be surprised. There are places where we often forget to check for dust bunnies, stains, or grease deposits. Because buyers and landlords will look in every spot, here is a list of items to clean in your kitchen area to keep everyone satisfied. 

• • Cupboards and cabinets. Clean them inside and out. Make sure you remove all the dust and crumbs that might have gathered over time.
  • Appliances. Especially the stove and refrigerator, which are easy to forget. After you clean them, pull them out and sweep and mop behind them. 

• Exhaustion fan. It gathers a lot of grime and grease over time, and people tend to overlook the importance of cleaning the exhaust fan.

• Countertops. Wipe them to remove any stains, and focus on the spots that the appliances were covering.

2 – The bathroom

Just like in the kitchen, there are hidden spots in the bathroom that need dusting and cleaning. First, check the space behind the toilet and around the shower or bathtub. There may be some calcium deposits, and you should remove them. Then, scrub the toilet and tub and sanitize them using appropriate cleaning products. Also, clean the sink and wipe out any stains that might be on the mirror. Finally, dust the counters, clean the cabinets inside and out, and empty the trash bin from the bathroom. After you’ve cleaned all of the places we mentioned, scrub, sweep and mop the floors to make them look spotless. One of the 6 areas to clean before moving out that you should focus on is the bathroom. Your landlord and buyers will inspect it in detail.

3 – The living area

When moving out of the house, make sure you don’t leave any of your items behind. Clear out all the closets, cabinets, and drawers and clean them of any dust. If you’re bringing any furniture with you, make sure it’s clean before calling in the furniture movers. You wouldn’t want to bring sticky or stained furniture to your new home. Also, don’t get adventurous and avoid getting in any trouble by moving furniture by yourself. Let the professional furniture movers take care of it, as they know the right way to transfer bulky pieces safely. 

After you’ve done cleaning and removing furniture from the rooms, it’s time to get into the finer details. For example, clean the walls, doorknobs, outlet covers, and light switches and dust all the surfaces. To finish, wash all the windows inside and out and clean the floors.

Next, after cleaning the inside of the house, it’s time to move outside.

4 – The front of the house

Cleaning the outside of the house and its surrounding area is just as important as cleaning the inside. After all, curb appeal is what gives you the first impression of a property. Therefore, make sure your house is neat and visible from the sidewalk. Mow the lawn, trim the bushes, pull out all the weeds from the garden, and so on. Take care of the green area surrounding your former home to ensure that potential buyers will want to see further than the entrance. That is if you are planning to sell your home. Also, you should wash the walkway and driveway to make an even better impression. Leave the property as you would like to find it when moving in.

5 – The back of the house

“If it’s in the back, nobody will check.” – We highly disagree with this notion, and we consider that the back of the house is just as important as the front. Moreover, we are pretty sure that your landlord or potential buyer will think the same. As a result, make sure to do some proper cleaning in the backyard. For example, you should clean up any debris that the wind may have brought into your yard. Then, you can rake all the dead leaves and sticks and cut the shrubbery that got too tall. Next, mow the lawn and clear the plant beds of any weeds. If you have a pool, you should clean it also. In the end, wash the deck to remove any dirt stains and have the property look brand new.

6 – The forgotten area

So you cleaned your house inside and out, and everything should be perfect, right? Not quite. You should check the outer part of the house that everyone overlooks and rarely cleans. We are talking about cleaning the gutters. Unfortunately, many house owners are unaware that they should clean this area regularly, not only when they move out. It can help avoid stains and unnecessary repairs that might alter the look of the house. For instance, it protects the roof and prevents water damage. As a result, don’t forget about one of the 6 areas to clean before moving out that most people overlook. Your house will be grateful.

A quick reminder of the areas you should clean before moving out

Start inside the house, and work your way through all the areas. Clean the kitchen first, then the bathroom, and finally the living areas. Go into detail, and don’t forget about the hidden spots we mentioned. Next, move to the outside of the house and clean the front and back areas. Make sure to give your old house a fresh new look that will attract people’s attention. Last but not least, don’t forget to clean the gutters. On the other hand, if all of this seems like too much, you can always reach out to professionals and have them handle it for you. After you are done with all of the 6 areas to clean before moving out, you can enjoy a carefree relocation to your new home.