7 Steps to Deep Cleaning a New Home

Guest post by Cherie Mclaughlin of www.couchbasedbiz.com

Moving into a new home is exciting on many levels, as it marks a new chapter in your life. And while it provides a blank canvas for you to furnish and decorate as you please, it’s also important to take advantage of the empty space by giving it a deep clean before you move in. While this process often takes time, I’ll break it down in seven steps that can make the experience feel less stressful and more manageable.

Consider Hiring a Cleaning Service

First of all, the easiest way to handle all the deep cleaning before you move in is to hire someone else to do it. If your new home is an apartment, the landlord has probably already arranged for it to be cleaned. That said, having your own professional cleaning service to come in and deep clean is still a good idea because you will know that someone you trust has thoroughly cleaned every inch of the living space. In some instances, you can try to barter for cleaning services.

Ensure Clean Air

If you’re doing your own cleaning, the first step is to make sure the air you will be breathing is clean. Indoor air quality is often overlooked. But over time, outdoor pollutants, volatile compounds in furniture and paint, cleaning products, smoke, and more can make the air in your home unsafe. Following the cleaning steps in this article will go a long way in improving the air quality, but it also helps to regularly change your air filters and purchase a good air purifier (Shop the best Amazon air purifiers).

Clean Up Top

When you begin the actual cleaning process, you want to start at the top. That is, dust and wipe chandeliers, ceiling fan blades, overhead light fixtures, and any other high places. Work your way down from there since you can clean up any dust and debris that fall as you go. These tips for deep cleaning your living room will help.

Clean Your Appliances

If you have appliances that came with the home, you want to make sure those are clean as well. Change the filter on your furnace and clean any ductwork that needs it. Also, be sure to sterilize the washing machine (try OxiClean Washing Machine Cleaner on Amazon, $7.49) and thoroughly clean the refrigerator inside and out.

Do the Kitchen

Next, move on to the kitchen. The top-down strategy applies here as well. Clean the corners of the ceiling and cabinet tops. Then tackle the appliances (e.g., microwave, sink, oven, stovetop, dishwasher, etc.), countertops, and cabinets (inside and out).

Do the Bathrooms

After the kitchen, move on to the bathrooms. Cleaning bathrooms is all about sanitizing, and you can’t really over-sanitize. Wipe everything down with your favorite cleaning solution, including the toilet paper holder, towel bars, door and cabinet handles, and faucets. Then spray disinfectant on everything. When it comes to the toilet seat, it’s better just to get a new one (shop the best toilet seats on Amazon).

Do the Rest

The final step is to tackle the rest of the home. This includes anything you haven’t cleaned yet, whether it’s the windows, walls, electrical receptacles, hard-to-see nooks and crannies, and so on. Then you’re ready to end with the floors. Vacuum and mop all the floors of the home in one session. If you have different types of flooring (i.e., hardwoods, vinyl/linoleum, carpet, etc.), you want to make sure you have the right equipment (e.g., quality vacuum, mop, steam cleaner). Shop the best Steam Cleaners Mops on Amazon.

Use These Tricks in Your Old Home As Well

Of course, you can also use these tricks when cleaning up your old home as well. After all, you want to leave the property in pristine condition for someone else to enjoy. If you’re leaving an apartment, doing a deep cleaning can ensure you get your security deposit back (barring any damage, of course). If you’re trying to sell your home, thoroughly cleaning the property or hiring a company to do it for you can actually help improve its appraisal value. What’s more, a good cleaning and a little staging can make it more appealing to buyers.

Moving should be more exciting than it is stressful. If you follow tips like the ones in this article, then the cleaning process won’t seem overwhelming. Just break it down and do it one step at a time, and you’ll be creating a clean and healthy environment that you can make your own.

Cherie Mclaughlin is the founder of www.couchbasedbiz.com, a website dedicated to creating and maintaining a successful work-from-home business.

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