Cleaning in advance of house move. What not to miss?

rosie383

Apologies firstly for the poor grammar in the title. My brain is not working as it should!

We are hoping to move (at last) within the next few weeks. I want to leave the house as clean as possible and don't want to miss bits that I may discover on the last day!

I want to deep clean as many bits as possible now so that they either don't need to be done again, or just require a quick wipe on the day.

Some are obvious. I have emptied the kitchen cupboards, kondoed and cleaned. Put back only essentials for the next few weeks and boxed up the rest. Same has been done for the wardrobes.

It is the other things that I may not think of that I want your help for.
Once the wheelie bins were emptied this week, I scrubbed them out and put in wheelie bin liners so that I can leave them clean/empty if we aren't leaving on bin day.
Top of the kitchen cupboards were cleaned and lined with paper, so I just need to remove the paper.

What else can I clean in advance? I have perhaps a week or two while we wait for exchange before we will know our exact move date.

Alter_ego

I wish all vendors were as concientious as you!
Sorry can't even spell it.

bexster1975

Couldn't agree more alter ego! God the state of this place when I moved in! Only made worse by the seller coming back the next day ( and for several weeks after due to not having moved everything out on time) telling me his girlfriend and her mother had cleaned the place with " a fine toothed comb!" Four days it took to get the kitchen clean enough to use! Fair play to you Rosie for wanting to get the house clean, I do hope those selling to you are as bothered!

Bexster

bexster1975

I would probably give the inside of the windows a clean shortly, make sure you fridge and freezer have minimum stuff in prior to move ( I assume you are taking your white goods). I don't always Hoover the edges of the room so I would do this is each room over the next couple of weeks, including skirting boards, and probably sort out under beds ( if appropriate) and cupboard under stairs/airing cupboard etc. good luck with your move!
Bexster

jadziad

If you're being particularly thorough, clean hair/muck from shower/bath drain plugs? After a few years they can get very clogged up, especially if someone in the house has long hair.

rosie383

I've done all the plugs and will hoover properly round the skirting boards on the day once the bedrooms are empty. They get done fairly regulalry anyway.

Windows, yep. I will get going on that.

janb5

Make sure you have a box with the immediate things you need on the day of the move such as made up bed linen, coffee, tea biscuits kettle etc. Also ensure you have cleared places like the loft, cupboard under the stairs and garden shed if you have them.


Don't put anything precious in black bin bags. I did hear of someone who bought new bed linen only to find it had been taken to the CS!

Rainy-Days

Well done Rosie.

When my friend moved to her new home the place was frankly rancid.

When i moved home last year, I made sure the bins were empty. The new owner thanked me for it and told me she had left her bins full :eek:

The usual things, clean oven and hob and anything integrated, I ran a distilled vinegar wash through on the dishwasher on the morning of the move. Skirting boards and light switches. I also left behind a half used reed scent bottle on the bedroom window sill which I could not be bothered to take and she was very happy that I did that. Due to them moving in within a couple of hours of me moving out I left the windows ajar so that there was air circulation (it was a nice day BTW) and it made it fresh. The final thing for me was when everybody had gone I went to the bathroom and cleaned it through. I then just had my cleaning stuff to take out in my old washing up bowl and it was job done.

I would hate to think someone said I left the house minging. Its frankly shameful when people do!

I left a bottle of wine and welcome to your new home card for them on the kitchen side worktop and a list for where the water stop c)ck was, what day the bins were being emptied (and which ones) and details for the central heating engineer (because she asked for that). I also bagged up the window keys and side gate keys (with the fobs) and left them with the wine. I just felt it was a nice touch and she did appreciate it. She sent me a lovely text to thank me!

rosie383

Thanks Rainy days. I will be leaving her a wee letter with important details and also to let her know about our 'visiting' cat who has been coming every day for 14 years but lives in the house behind us. That's the only thing that is so hard about the move. Leaving kitty behind. I would hate to think that the new owner thinks we abandoned our cat!

We have no integrated appliances so no need to worry about those. Loft is cleared and shed and garden storage have been kondoed and cleaned with everything boxed up and waiting for the move.

FairyPrincessk

I've moved into a lot of less than clean homes, but I've also moved into some that are really sparkling and it is always appreciated. I try to leave houses as clean as possible when I move.

These are things I've noticed either I forgot until the last moment or that others have forgotten when the house was otherwise sparkling:

Top of the fridge if it is staying and the freezer compartment/cupboards (bathroom medicine cupboard too!)
Widows
Skirting boards, paintwork, door frames and light switches (you tend not to notice the fingerprints around lights unless you think about it)
Fireplaces (the gas and electric ones can get really dusty)
Filter for the hob extractor fan (some get changed, others get washed)
Inside the oven
Under the sink (granted that house wasn't clean, but sometimes it is the obvious stuff)
If the WM and or tumble drier are staying then clean those, same for dishwasher--clean any filters and/or run a machine cleaner
Tile or backsplash in the kitchen, particularly behind the taps
Check corners of rooms near the ceiling for cobwebs, same with light fixtures--they're often dusty at the very least.

FairyPrincessk

Always a nice touch to leave a loo roll behind!