Most people fail to comprehend how messy moving can be. You must likely go with the opinion that the most important things are for you to find a new place, pack your things and hire a professional and reliable NYC mover.
However, you should never neglect the small things. And one of those would be doing a clean-up of your old apartment after everything has been moved out. It can be tiring and time-consuming, but it is something that has to be done.
So this is why we offer our experienced guide on how to clean your home after the move. It is our hope that it will help guide you through this process easily and efficiently.
Clean your home after the move room by room
Unless you plan on hiring professional cleaners to help you with this task, you need a cleaning plan. The simplest solution to go with would be going room-by-room. Not only does it help keep things organized, but you end up saving yourself a whole lot of time. So here is a smart order that you can follow for your clean-up task:
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Bedrooms
- Living room
- Other rooms
Kitchen as the most crowded room in the house
The kitchen is commonly the room with most appliances and where you can expect the largest mess. It is after all where you and your family make and eat food, wash dishes etc.
And this is why you should commit yourself to cleaning it before all other rooms. It will take the longest amount of time to clean but you can use the following checklist for guidance:
- Disinfect all surfaces with proper cleaning supplies.
- Mop the floors with a strong disinfectant.
- Swipe the cabinets and drawers clean.
- Scrub the sink and faucet.
The kitchen is one room that must not be skipped when you clean your home after the move. Make sure that everything is clean enough to eat from. This will go towards getting your place clean enough to get your deposit back and boost your relocation budget.
Bathroom as most demanding step when you clean your home after the move
Everyone will be using the bathroom on moving day. And once the packing & loading is done, both you and your moving crew will want to clean up. So wait until everything has been done and everyone leaves. Then you can proceed and give a deep scrubbing to your old bathroom.
Make sure you get everything sparkling when you clean your home after the move. Use potent disinfectants on the bathroom fixtures such as the sink and toilet. And pay special attention to all those hard-to-reach places:
- behind the toilet seat
- medicine cabinet interior
- sink and shower drains
Replaceable features such as toilet seat and shower curtains you can leave for the next resident to replace. They don’t cost that much and it will not influence the overall look of the place. After all, the goal here is to give the new residents a good and clean impression.
Bedrooms as the next logical step
Given that bedrooms will most likely be empty once you move out, cleaning them should be no issue. The most important step is to make sure that the floors are clean, no web or dust in the room.
And if there are any beds or closets left, to empty them and clean them as well. But here is a helpful check list for these rooms as well:
- Mop the floors and wash the windows
- Check if the electricity plugs are clean
- Disinfect the door knobs to prevent germs and grime
And don’t forget to vent out all the bedrooms, just to leave some fresh air for the new residents.
Living room as the easiest room to clean once everything has been moved
After the move, the living room will usually be empty of any furniture or stuff. So it will be a minor task when you clean your home after the move.
And you can apply the same checklist as for the bedroom. Once again, don’t forget to open all the windows and let some air inside.
Other rooms that might be there to clean your home after the move
This varies from home to home. Sometimes you will only have a typical NYC apartment that only contains the four previously mentioned rooms.
Other times we will be talking about a house that has several rooms, an attic, basement, tool shed, garage etc. So whatever the situation, you should try to have all rooms looking as clean as possible.
No matter if you’ve already sold the house or are planning to. Even if you were just renting a place, a proper cleaning can ensure leaving on clean terms and even getting your initial deposit back.
Cleaning your new home after moving in can be just as simple
What is the best thing about this guide to clean your home after the move? It can be applied to both your old and new NYC home. With the new home, there are just slight adjustments that you need consider:
- You should go through all the rooms before you unpack your belongings.
- When you unpack the boxes, you should also do it room by room. And while you do that, you can make sure that any appliances, furniture, books etc. are clean.
- Consider what fits into your new home and what you might want to put into storage.
Once all the boxes and furniture have been unpacked, time to rid yourself of the packing supplies. There are plenty of ways to go about doing this:
- recycling
- donation
- preserving
- re-selling
Our advice: flatten and recycle the ones all used up or damaged. The ones still in good condition you can either keep or donate. It all depends on how long you plan on staying in your new NYC home.
Now, your NYC move-in cleaning checklist is complete ““ so you can pour a glass of wine or take a cold beer, sit back and relax.