Make Sure Utilities Are Connected

You’ll need electricity to power your vacuum and water to clean the surfaces in your home, so it’s crucial that these utilities are connected. Contact your electricity provider and local council two weeks before you intend to start cleaning to make sure you’ll have these services when you arrive.

Budget Your Time

You’ve only got a certain amount of time at your disposal before your professional movers arrive. Budgeting your time will make sure you use it effectively.

This exercise is a little like what you used to do when you completed exams at school. You knew you had three hours to complete the exam, so you decided how long you should spend on the multiple choice questions, how long the short answer questions would take, and how much time you’d need for your essay. You probably wrote down how long you should spend and made sure you jumped to the next section when required, whether you were finished or not. The same practice can serve you well when you’re cleaning your new place.

Consider how much time you have at your disposal and decide how much time you can afford to clean each room. A small room like an ensuite bathroom shouldn’t take you a lot of time, but you’ll probably want to allocate more time to your kitchen, to ensure you can clean out a grimy oven or neglected exhaust fan. Once you’ve made your schedule, refer to it during the process to keep on track and meet your cleaning deadline.

Start at the Top and Work Down

Starting at the top of each room and working down is the most efficient way to clean, as it ensures you never have to do a job twice. In each room in your new home, dust around the ceiling and cornices first. Some dust, dirt, and cobwebs are likely to fall on the floor, but that’s OK because you haven’t cleaned them yet.

Wipe down the walls with a rag and soapy water next. This might seem like overkill at first, but if you start thinking about everything these walls may have been subjected to over the years you’ll realise it’s worth the effort. You’ll also need to clean everything at wall level during this step. Wipe down the cupboards, paying particular attention to the top where dust accumulates. In the bathroom, make sure to wipe down your vanity and all sides of your shower recess.

Cleaning the skirting boards is the second to last step of any room. It’s a good idea to vacuum them with the brush attachment to suck up any loose dust or debris before wiping them down with a damp rag and all-purpose cleaning solution.

Then you’re finally ready to clean the floor. A vacuum should do the job for any carpeted rooms, but if the carpets are heavily soiled, it may pay to get them steamed. Tiled and wooden floors can be mopped, but a steam cleaner will do the best job.

Clean Those Areas You Might Not Get To Again

In every home, there are things we clean regularly and things that get put on the backburner. Washing walls and cleaning the tops of cupboards are two areas that fall into the latter category. If you rarely make time for this job, just stop and think how long it might have been since the area was last cleaned. And if you don’t clean it now, how many years will go by before these spots are dusted and wiped out?

The days before you move in are the perfect time to do these cleaning jobs. Take the opportunity to wipe out every drawer and cupboard, thoroughly clean ceiling fans, exhaust fans, and the inside of the air-conditioner, and other areas that might escape your attention once your place is filled with your possessions. 

Clean Where People Touch

Oils from our skin will mark the surfaces in our home. Unless the previous resident of your new place was fastidious, your home probably still has the marks of people who’ve been there before. The time before you move in is a great opportunity to clean up the fingerprints left behind. 

Think about the places you touch on a daily basis and target these. Built-in appliances like dishwashers and ovens, toilets, taps, light switches, and door handles are all places you’re likely to find fingerprints. Spray on an anti-bacterial cleaning spray to disinfect these areas and remove built-up grime.

Remember these tips to target the right areas and clean efficiently before you move in to your new place.