Being a student can be sometimes chaotic and among the many evil necessities, the need to move out of your tenancy is the most soul-crushing experience, period. Whether its a campus or a true tenancy, it’s not that important. The problem is that you need to be extra careful and concentrated on the details. So, how to clean before moving out of a flat? Read further to get some useful ideas.
The right strategy for moving out will help you gain approval form the inevitable inspection. If you are successful, you will get your deposit back and move on without suffering damage fee. Of course, you can always call professionals like I did (I hired cleaners for a session in Liverpool) and yet your own efforts can lead to quite impressive results if you follow guidelines like these below:
1. Start with the Utilities
Make sure that the utility expenses are no longer your responsibility. Collect all the bills from the previous months. Deal with this job fast, because there is nothing more embarrassing than to be chased for some petty debts.
2. Use a Cleaning Solution for the Surfaces in Your Tenancy
Go through all corners of the rooms and collect all staples and nails that you have stuck into the walls, ceilings and doors. Any scuff marks should be gone, but you should be careful to not strip some wall parts from the paint, the wallpaper or whatever else covers them.
3. Kitchen Cleaning
Here is the toughest part and many landlords feel very offended by even the tiniest leftover. Here you can fail the inspection, so pay attention to the following:
- The fridge. All shelves and drawers must be removed and put in a dish washer for safety. Wipe the interior and the exterior of the fridge. If there is still bad odour, put a bowl filled with baking soda. The latter will absorb the unpleasant smells.
- Oven Cleaning. You can ease the process by placing a bowl filled with white vinegar. Heat it for 15-20 minutes and the food residue will be loosened. Then, you can wipe the inside with a cloth dampened in a mixture of water and a few teaspoons of baking soda.
- Sink. Nothing special here, just get an old toothbrush and use a paste made of water and baking soda. The stainless steel parts will have their shiny appearance back. Same applies for other surfaces like tiles or porcelain.
4. Bathroom Cleaning
Don’t miss these: the sink, the tub, the toilet bowl and the shower. Make sure that there are no disgusting leftovers. Use a natural cleaner for mirrors and light fixtures, not ammonia-based ones.
5. Bedroom Cleaning
There is nothing less than cleaning the carpets thoroughly. You can hire a cleaning company to do this for you or not, but in the end you must leave the tenancy with a completely dry carpet. Otherwise, the moisture can be a problem. Most landlords who spot wet areas on carpets start to think about mildew or even mould.
6. Final Efforts
Use the aforementioned principles for the rest of the rooms. Don’t forget to pick up all clutter and empty all rubbish bins. Make sure that there is nothing broken and take picture as soon as you’re ready. Now you are prepared for the inspection!
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