Moving out of a rental property can often be a stressful experience, and one of the pressing issues is the need to clean the house from top to bottom.
In this blog post, we’ve provided you with a list of everything in your house that might need cleaning. If you share communal spaces with other housemates, you’ll have to come to an agreement on who cleans what. It’s also recommended that you leave the cleaning as late as feasibly possible, as this avoids the likelihood of anything getting dirty or broken after you have already cleaned and before your moving out day.
Bedrooms
It’s usually a good idea to start your cleaning from top to bottom, so there’s no better place to start than your bedroom! Thankfully, as daunting as it may seem, bedrooms should be fairly straightforward to clean. Here’s the list of cleaning tasks you might need to do in your bedroom:
- Wipe down doors
- Clean wardrobes inside and out, wipe down the tops
- Clean and polish any mirrors
- Remove dust from picture frames, chests of drawers and clothing rails
- Clean plug sockets and light fittings
- Wipe down radiators
- Clean behind and under any furniture
- Get rid of cobwebs in corners of the room
- Wipe down skirting boards and window ledges
- Clean and polish internal windows
- Vacuum the entire floor or mop if you have wooden flooring
Bathrooms and toilets
Bathrooms can be notoriously annoying to clean, however, it is an essential job that needs doing! It’s worthwhile grabbing some gloves and get ready to scrub everything down!
- Remove limescale from bath and shower and clean
- Clean shower glass
- Remove limescale from sink and clean
- Unblock and clean plugs
- Check for mould and wipe down all tiles
- Remove dust from extractor fans
- Clean and polish internal windows and wipe down windowsills
- Clean and disinfect toilet
- Wipe down all shelving and surfaces
- Polish taps and other stainless steel
- Clean and polish mirrors
- Vacuum and mop the floor
Kitchen
Often the most challenging room to take on, cleaning the kitchen can be a long process, but put in the work and you’ll be able to get it squeaky clean!
- Clean mould and grime off wall tiles and polish afterwards
- Remove limescale from sink and polish taps
- Wipe down radiators
- Clean and polish internal windows – wipe down windowsills
- Clean cupboards and drawers, inside and out
- Clean out the fridge and wipe down the door
- Clean freezer (internally, if defrosted)
- Clean washing machine, including detergent tray and filters
- Clean dishwasher and remove limescale
- Clean microwave inside and out
- Clean other smaller appliances such as toaster and kettle
- Degrease and clean the oven
- Clean and polish the hob
- Wipe down table and countertops
- Vacuum and mop the floor
Stairs and hallways
Cleaning your stairs and hallways should be relatively straightforward, as most of your duties will consist of dusting and vacuuming. Of course, manoeuvring the stairs can be awkward, so just make sure you’re careful whilst you’re cleaning!
- Wipe down bannister, stairway, and railings.
- Clean skirting boards and remove dust
- Clean electrical sockets and light switches and fittings
- Remove dust from picture frames
- Clean and polish internal windows – wipe down windowsills
- Wipe down doors and clean the tops
- Wipe down radiators
- Clean any surfaces or bits of furniture that are around
- Vacuum carpets thoroughly and mop hard floors
Reception areas
Next, you’ll have to take on the reception areas in your house, which usually include a living room and a dining area. Thankfully, these areas should be relatively simple to clean.
- Clean and polish mirrors
- Wipe down doors including the tops
- Clean skirting boards
- Clean under and behind all furniture
- Dust any surfaces and tabletops
- Clean plug sockets and light switches
- Get rid of any cobwebs
- Clean all cupboards both inside and out
- Clean and dust any picture frames
- Vacuum carpets and mop any hard flooring
If you’ve gone through all the tasks in this list, your house should be sparkling. Providing that nothing is broken, this should put you in could shape to get your full deposit back. It’s always best to go over everything carefully to ensure you haven’t missed anything which needs cleaning or fixing.
