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

Allegra

rosie383 wrote: »

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.

Ohhh Rosie, are you me ? We're on the move as well - not got the date yet, but hopefully we are talking two or three weeks - I am also spring cleaning away in preparation - and we also have a visiting kitty that will be in for a shock when he presents himself at the back door and a stranger looks back at him.... Well, actually, we have two, both officially reside next door, but one is particularly persistent.


I think I might have also seen you on the Kondo thread ? (I lurk)


Thanks for the thread - lots of excellent advice there - and good luck with the move !

lynsayjane

Wish the previous owner of my house had seen this! But then I think part of the reason they were moving was that after 7 years of doing nothing to the house their options were to start repairs or move! Shouldn't surprise that they hadn't done more than a basic clean.

They did leave a folder with the documents for the boiler and appliances. Oh and a single dishwasher tablet (my flat hadn't had one so it was useful).

I was renting out my previous flat and left it immaculate, left various cleaning bits too as well as loo roll etc. I've also done this when I had a change of tenants. The previous tenants left it basic clean, I gave it a thorough clean before the new ones got the key. I left them a bottle of wine and welcome card too.

Good luck with the move
LJ
x

Eenymeeny

Nice to see someone who does think of others by leaving the house clean and tidy. Don't do what I did on a house move years ago. Like you, everything was planned to the last detail, which included placing the heavy stuff which had to be taken to the tip into the garage. (We'd hired a van for the day.)
I finished in one house by scrubbing all of the floors, left instructions to OH and his mate as to what went where and dashed to the new address ready to receive and unpack.
It was only 6 months later that I found out that they'd left the junk in the garage as they were knackered!:eek::mad:
I still cringe when I think of it.:o
Btw He's an ex OH now....;)
On another occasion I was grateful to the new resident who returned my husband's shaving gear and expensive after shave to the Estate Agent. He'd used it and put back on a high shelf in the bathroom cabinets which I'd already emptied. Twit!;)

GreyQueen

Some people known to me had a complicated move, combining their two separate homes into their new joint home. So it was planned with military precision.

On the day, they found both reception rooms stacked floor to ceiling with the vendor's belongings and, when they got to the loft a couple of days later, it was crammed with rubbish. When contacted, the vendor told them happily that they could throw everything in the loft away - bu88er, hey?

Anecdotally, it seems there are more clutterbugs and filthy beggars than immaculate and thoughtful types like the OP, it has certainly been my personal experience. Long may she prosper!

Quick laff; when I moved into this flat, it was pretty rank. Took the grotty lightpull cord off the bathroom and it was so stiff with dirt that it stood upright, unsupported, like the indian rope trick. Mum still marvels about it to this day.

bexster1975

GQ, I agree there certainly seem to be a lot of manky bu88ers! I wouldn't mind needing to clean some things as I know we all have different standards of what we think is clean, mostly learned from home I imagine. I do think it's disgusting the filth some people live in though, and expect others to move into. OP, I wish I was moving at the mo and buying your place!

Bexster

cat4772

We've already moved house but our old house is being sold. I have two sofas, a single bed, a trio of canvas wardrobes and a fridge and freezer to dispose of. I'm keeping the curtains.

We'd already decorated and painted the woodwork in the house, cleaning it first so I just need to keep on top of it.

But as I'm in training for a half marathon on Sunday the old house was put on hold until next week. I do have a (long) list of things to do.

Starting in the attic bedrooms and working down to the kitchen I'll be damp-dusting all woodwork, curtain poles and tops of doors. Vacuuming all over (including carpet edges, washing both bathroom floors and kitchen floors, bleach down toilet. I've mowed the lawn twice so far and will continue to do so weekly until the buyers move in (garden is 200ft long so takes an hour or so if collecting the mown grass). I'm going to scrub the kitchen units and the integrated double-oven.

On the day we complete, I'll have the windows open for an hour to let air circulate (though we did this before every viewing).

I've got a bottle of wine ready and the handover notes (stop tap, service dates for the boiler / gas fires etc), list of local tradesmen we've used, details of local shops, banks, bust stop, schools and a couple of good restaurants / take aways.

About three years ago, a new neighbour sued the vendor for breach of contract when they moved out and left the house a mess (with old white goods left behind, lights removed that had been listed as being left). They had to pay a cleaning company to come in and deep clean.

Cat.x

tooties

Hi Rosie,

That's a great idea with the bins Rosie, when we moved here the normal wheelie bin and the two recycle wheelie bins were full to overflowing with smelly rubbish and loads of dog excrement ( was a single bloke who bred dogs previously) took me about 3 months to empty and scrub them all! I still shudder everytime i put something in them.

There are some awful clarty peoples in the world.

Hope you have a smooth move.

Regards

rosie383

GreyQueen wrote: »

Anecdotally, it seems there are more clutterbugs and filthy beggars than immaculate and thoughtful types like the OP, it has certainly been my personal experience. Long may she prosper!

.

Thoughtful, yes. Immaculate? Erm, no. I just don't like the thought of leaving our dirt for someone else to clean up! :D

I loved the story about the light pull cord! I can picture it!

Allegra hiya. :hello:
Hope your move goes smoothly. Just found out that we definitely won't be exchanging this week, hopefully next week. Gives me more time to kondo and clean. All proofreading done for now and not looking for any work until the move is done.

lushlifesaver

Thank goodness for this thread! I've only ever moved in to two student rentals and in to my bf's but left the two student rentals better than when I moved in the day I left - even though the first was brand new - how can developers leave places so dusty and grim for first tenants?!


We are hoping to move relatively soon (in fact we are off to view a brand new shared ownership property tomorrow - fingers crossed!!) however as we will be moving from our tiny, accessible council matchbox we have to strip everything out bar doors and radiators - even the light fittings and carpets have to come out with us! Not so bad for us as we have decorated every room over the past year (bar the living room which bf did just before I moved in!) so we will take everything bar the wallpaper with us.


This thread has pointed out all the little nooks and crannies that I don't clean on a daily/weekly basis that I'll need to do. Unfortunately we can't leave a nice little handbook or wine for the new tenants but I've made a note of that idea for future

Eenymeeny

I've got a bottle of wine ready and the handover notes (stop tap, service dates for the boiler / gas fires etc), list of local tradesmen we've used, details of local shops, banks, bust stop, schools and a couple of good restaurants / take aways.'
Unfortunately we can't leave a nice little handbook or wine for the new tenants but I've made a note of that idea for future
A really nice idea to make handover notes. If you haven't got time or money to do that, a little card or note saying 'Welcome to your new home' would be very welcome. I usually do that and maybe that encouraged the new buyer of our flat to return the shaving gear that we'd left?