In This Post
– House Cleaning Supplies Checklist
– Cleaning Your New Bathroom
– Cleaning Your New Kitchen
– Cleaning Other Rooms
– Cleaning the Floors
If you have ever moved homes, you would know how exhausting it is to pack up all your belongings, loading them into a truck, then unloading them at your new home and unpacking all the boxes you had so taped so carefully. In all the excitement and commotion, a lot of people tend to forget how important it is to clean a new house after moving in.
Whether you’re renting a house or buying one, you definitely don’t want to cut any corners when it comes to deep cleaning your new residence before settling in. What you might not notice right away, is that your new home is not as clean as it looks at first glance. It’s almost inevitable that you will find some dust, dirt and grime (even cobwebs) adorning the hard-to-reach places and not-so-visible corners of your new place. This is especially true if you’ve moved into a house someone you used to live in before. However, that doesn’t mean newly constructed houses don’t need to be thoroughly cleaned, because they do.
Although the idea to clean a new house right after moving in may seem a little overwhelming, you can tackle this project by following our ultimate deep cleaning checklist.
House Cleaning Supplies Checklist
These are some of the supplies you must have on hand while cleaning a house after moving in.
- Vacuum cleaner
- Broom
- Feather duster
- Mop Bucket
- Microfiber cloths
- Rubber gloves
- Sponges
- Old toothbrush
- Cleaning solutions
- Paper towels
- Step ladder
If possible, you should ask your landlord or the seller if you could deep clean the house before moving in. This would help you clean the place from top to bottom without bumping into any unpacked cartons and disassembled furniture.
How to Clean the New Bathroom
Regardless of whether you are moving into an old house or a newly-constructed one, the bathroom should be your starting point while cleaning the place.
Here is how you can clean your new bathroom.
- Start from the very top by cleaning the dust and dirt off the ceilings, walls, light fixtures, and exhaust fan. You can use a long feather duster to properly clean each and every surface
- If there are any windows in the bathroom, make sure to clean them too
- Mix a solution of equal parts vinegar and warm water and spray it on all the cabinets and shelves in the bathroom. You can also add a few drops of dishwashing liquid into the solution if the cabinets look extremely dirty. Let the solution sit there for a few minutes before wiping it with a clean cloth
- Use the same solution to clean the faucets, doorknobs, towel hangers and other similar fixtures in the bathroom
- It is recommended to clean the toilet and bathtub with bleach or another disinfectant before letting anyone in your household use them
- Use a cleaning solution or simple detergent to wash down the sink and mirror
- To clean the tiled flooring in your new bathroom, mix half-a-cup baking soda into a cup of white vinegar. You can also add a few drops of essential oil that has disinfecting properties (tea tree oil, for example) to the mixture and leave it on the bathroom floor for about 10 minutes. Then, use a brush to get rid of the dirt and grime on the tiles before washing the floors with clean water
- Lastly, use a wiper or an old towel to completely dry the floor and rest of the fixtures in your bathroom before moving on to the next room
Here are some more DIY bathroom cleaning tips that you might find helpful.
How to Clean the New Kitchen
The next stop in our guide on how to clean a new house after moving in is obviously the kitchen.
If your new home was previously occupied by another family, there is a good chance that your kitchen has some grease stains and lingering food smell. Here is how you can make your kitchen look fresh and spotless while cleaning a new house.
- Starting at the top, clean the ceiling, fans and light fixtures in the room using a feather duster
- Use any regular cleaning solution to clean light switches and doorknobs
- Dampen a piece of cloth with a solution of white vinegar and a few drops of mild dishwashing liquid, then use it to wipe grease and other stains off the kitchen cabinetry. After a few minutes, wipe the outside of cabinets and drawers again using a clean cloth dampened with warm water. You may have to repeat this process a few times to get rid of all the grimy and sticky spots. Once done, use paper towels to remove all the moisture from the surface. In case the vinegar doesn’t do the trick, repeat the process with a mixture of baking soda and water
- You can use any mild surface cleaning solution to wipe the insides of the cabinets. If the previous owners have left any liners inside the cabinets, replace them with new ones before organizing them
- Use dishwashing liquid to clean the drawer handles and cabinet pulls
- When it comes to cleaning your new kitchen countertops, you may not want to use vinegar or lemon as their acidic properties can damage some natural stones. The best way to clean kitchen countertops is to spray them with a solution of water and non-abrasive dishwashing liquid. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before rubbing the counters clean using a soft microfiber cloth.
- A mixture of baking soda and soda can be used to clean dirty-looking backsplashes
- If your new home comes with any electronic appliances, such as a stove, food processor, refrigerator, dishwasher or the microwave, you must make sure to clean them as well. Here are some ways to clean kitchen appliances that might help you out
- To get rid of any lingering smells, place a piece of charcoal in a corner of your kitchen. It will help absorb any unpleasant smells
- Scrubbing the sink is perhaps the most important part of cleaning your new kitchen after moving in. For this purpose, you may want to mix some chlorine-free bleach with water and spray it on the sink. After 15 or so minutes, scrub it with a sponge and rinse the sink clean with fresh water. You can also use baking soda and water to get rid of sink odours
- Lastly, sweep and mop the floors
You can also check out our tips on how to keep your kitchen clean and sparkling to ensure your cooking space always looks perfect.
Cleaning Other Rooms
Deep cleaning an apartment before moving in or preparing a house before moving in is not always an option. Therefore, you need to clean every surface as you go.
Once you are done with the kitchen and bathroom, you should start cleaning other rooms. We would recommend working your way from the back to the front, which means starting from your bedroom before moving on to the drawing-room and then the living room.
- Clean the ceilings, light fixtures, fans and wall of each room using a feather duster
- Get rid of any fingerprints around light switches
- Since it is extremely important to sanitize a new house right after moving in, you should use a disinfectant mixed with water or a sanitizer with at least 60 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe off doorknobs, stair railings, and other fixtures
- If the room has any furniture left behind by the previous residents, thoroughly clean them inside and out. Here is a detailed guide on how to clean different surfaces around the house that will help you figure out what to do next
- Vacuum, sweep or mop the floor, as needed
Cleaning the Floors
While we have briefly discussed cleaning tile flooring earlier in the piece, there is a fair chance your home has wall-to-wall carpeting or hardwood floors instead of tiled ones.
How to Clean Carpet Flooring
Carpets can be a hotbed for allergens and pests. Therefore, if you are able to deep clean the house before moving in, it is recommended to hire a professional to steam clean each room. If that is not possible, you need to vacuum the entire area to get rid of all the dirt and debris that must have settled in.
Here are some tips to remove stubborn carpet stains that will come in handy.
How to Clean Wooden Floors
Wooden floors can be cleaned with a vacuum or a broom. If you are planning on mopping the floors, make sure not to saturate the wooden surface with water. Also, you’ll have to dry the floors immediately.
How to Clean Tiles Flooring
If your new house has marble flooring, you should use a mixture of water and dishwashing liquid to mop the floors. On the other hand, ceramic and porcelain floors can be cleaned using a solution of ¼ cup white vinegar and a gallon of water.
You can also mix a few drops of any store-bought disinfectant to the cleaning solution in order to sanitize a new house right after moving in.
In case you have any questions about this deep cleaning checklist for new homes, feel free to get in touch with us by sending an email on blog@zameen.com.
Meanwhile, if you are feeling a little overwhelmed by the prospect of moving into a new home, our guides on the right order of unpacking and how to unpack efficiently will help you formulate the perfect game plan.
For more tips on how to clean a new house after moving in, stay connected to Zameen Blog – the best lifestyle and real estate blog in Pakistan. In addition to that, you can subscribe to our newsletter on the right in order to receive the latest property-related updates right in your inbox.
