The ultimate move-out cleaning checklist

Some people have to give big deposits to their landlords once they move into a new home or an apartment. So, they would like to retrieve it once they move out. Unfortunately, often times people fail to leave the place clean after moving out. Understandably, the landlord refuses to give them back their deposit and it ends up being an uncomfortable experience for both parties. So, why not avoid a troublesome situation if it’s possible? Let us help you clean the place back to the way it was before you moved in. You’ll make it look fresh and brand new so your landlord won’t regret giving you back your deposit. Here is a great move-out cleaning checklist you can use for this project.

Every good move-out cleaning checklist starts with a plan

Divide your checklist into sections. It can be divided based on how big the task is. It can also be divided by which room you are supposed to do it in. Think it through and organize yourself the best way it suits you. Once you know where to start, you’ll job will be much easier. A good system will save you a lot of time and you’ll be able to clean the place up pretty well before your relocation with residential movers in Northern VA begins.

Start with rooms that require less work

One of the best ways to handle this specific situation is to think which room takes the least time to clean. Sometimes it’s the attic, other times it can be the bedroom. However, in most cases people find the bathroom to be the easiest place in the house to clean. You need to clean the bathtub, the toilet, and the bathroom mirror, and 80% of your job is done. Don’t forget to remove any traces of mold, which is sometimes tricky to find. Once that’s done, you are ready to move to the next room.

Here are some of the universal tasks

While every house or flat has its own requirements, some tasks are always mandatory. For example, you might need to mown the lawn if you live in a house and that wouldn’t be the case if you were living in an apartment. Also, some houses require you to check the plumbing before you leave and in a building, the building management does that for you. However, there are tasks on every move-out cleaning checklist that can’t be avoided no matter where you live. Here are some of the more important ones.

Dusting is a must on every move-out cleaning checklist

If there is one thing you can find in every corner of the world, it’s dust. Dust is usually an indicator of bad hygiene and that a place wasn’t kept in shape by the people living in it. So, in order to show your landlord that wasn’t the case with you, make sure you swipe and wipe all over the place until it’s really clean. A good landlord will recognize your efforts and will give the deposit back to you before your relocation with long distance moving companies Northern VA begins.

Thoroughly clean all the floors

A lot of people like to just leave the floor unattended or only use a broom when cleaning. That is a mistake you should try to avoid. If you have enough time, use a floor brush and water and clean the floor that way. It will clean the floor in a much more thorough way. Also, if you have carpets everywhere, you should definitely vacuum the place. Use chemicals if needed, just make it look clean and fresh. Otherwise, your landlord will see stains and spots that weren’t there when you moved in and you can say goodbye to your deposit.

Clean the windows

This is a big one. One thing most people notice once they are in a new place is the windows. Now, why is that? Well, probably because the windows are the main source of light in a room. Once the landlord sees messy windows with the glass full of stains, it won’t end well. Ask for some good ways to clean windows and then do that. Clear and clean windows might be the very detail that will leave your landlord in a good mood.

Here are some less significant but still important move-out cleaning checklist tasks

While dusting, cleaning, and vacuuming are the biggest part of the job, it’s still just the basics. If you want to make sure you will satisfy your landlord’s criteria for a clean apartment, make sure to include a few more tasks. Here are some recommendations on what to do to complete your cleaning before you move your stuff to storage units in DC metro area and relocate.

Repaint the place

People tend to forget what the place looked like when they first moved in. If you have a picture from that period, observe the walls. The color is usually much fresher in those pictures. It shouldn’t be a shock since most landlords like to repaint the place they plan to rent after the tenant moves out. However, it costs and they just might take the money for that out of your deposit. So, you can repaint the place by yourself instead. Buy the paint, and the equipment and it will still be much cheaper than hiring someone else.

Pay special attention to the kitchen and the bathroom

Two places that hold a special place in every move-out cleaning checklist are the kitchen and the bathroom. At first, it might seem confusing since both are relatively small rooms. However, if you think about it more thoroughly, those are the two places that can get the dirtiest if not cleaned properly. So, before you hire any moving services Northern VA has to offer, you should make sure these two places are clean. Pay special attention to the sink and the bathtub. You want those as clean as possible. Also, if there are any tiles in your kitchen and bathroom, you should make sure those are as clean as possible as well. By doing so, you will make the whole place look much more refreshing.