FTB. How Best To Deep Clean Bathroom & Where To Get Trades or Handy Men.

strawberries1

Hi all,

I'm a first time buyer moving in a few weeks.

The property might require some painting, deep clean and a good scrub in the bathroom especially the lines between tiles.

I also need removal men.

Where should I look for these please?

Ebe_Scrooge

Removals - either go to the website of one of the big firms like Pickfords, or Google for a local firm ( likely to be cheaper ). Or even better, ask friends and neighbours, or post on a local community Facebook page asking for recommendations.


Painting and cleaning - likewise, nothing beats a word-of-mouth recommendation. Although for the cleaning ( and painting, for that matter ), you'll be able to save quite a bit by doing it yourself. Can you work it so that you get the keys a couple of days before you move in ? If the property is empty it'll be fairly easy to give it a thorough clean and do any painting that's necessary.

penguingirl

To clean the grout between tiles make a paste of thick bleach and bicarb of soda. It needs to be gloopy enough to not run off the walls. Use a cheap paintbrush and paint it onto the grout. Leave overnight and rinse off. Some give a scrub with a toothbrush first, but I didn't find that was needed. I found it completely refreshed grout, but not silicone (that would need scraping off and re-applying).

phill99

If you identify in London where you are, someone may be able to make recommendations on here.

trailingspouse

It's amazing what a deep clean can do for a bathroom. I remember showing a friend some before and after photos, and she thought we'd put in a new bathroom - all I'd done was give it a damn good clean, replaced the old black toilet seat with a white one, and bought a couple of towels that matched the existing tiles!!

Regarding removal companies - it depends how far you're moving. The national companies tend to work out cheaper if you're going a long distance (they can often arrange a return load), whereas a local company may be better if you're not going so far. Get quotes from at least 3, but don't just go by price - do you feel you can trust them with all (all) your stuff, do you want them handling all your things? Also, if at all possible, arrange for them to do the packing for you (if you have a granny, be prepared to sell her - it'll be totally worth it, and she'll understand).

DCFC79

Ask some neighbours, ask on the nextdoor website, ask friends/family(obviously this wont work if you have moved away from friends/family) or work colleagues for suggestions.

principlecounts

Some areas have a regular local booklet delivered to their door which contains a listing of local tradesman and services. Ask the previous owner of neighbours for this.

LandyAndy

strawberries1 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm a first time buyer moving in a few weeks.

The property might require some painting, deep clean and a good scrub in the bathroom especially the lines between tiles.

I also need removal men.

Where should I look for these please?

Specialist cleaning companies shouldn't be hard to find in London.


Similarly removers, but it depends how much stuff you have. If you don't have much heavy stuff and you do have a couple of willing friends you might save a lot by hiring a van.


Painting and decorating is something that it is well worth doing yourself. You will save a lot of money over the years and get a good deal of satisfaction from it.

Annie1960

Do you know your exact moving day? If not you should try to have a few shortlisted removal companies lined up as they may not be available the day you want them if it's short notice.

Also, if you are in a position to influence the moving day fry to suggest a y day except Fridays or Mondays.

strawberries1

Thank you everyone. I have no clue how to paint or anything of the sort. I'll see if I can get a reliable handyman and perhaps I'll help out so I learn from the experience too.

penguingirl wrote: »

To clean the grout between tiles make a paste of thick bleach and bicarb of soda. It needs to be gloopy enough to not run off the walls. I found it completely refreshed grout, but not silicone (that would need scraping off and re-applying).

How do I figure out the difference please?

phill99 wrote: »

If you identify in London where you are, someone may be able to make recommendations on here.

From Enfield to West Drayton

Annie1960 wrote: »

Do you know your exact moving day? If not you should try to have a few shortlisted removal companies lined up as they may not be available the day you want them if it's short notice.

Also, if you are in a position to influence the moving day fry to suggest a y day except Fridays or Mondays.

Not yes but will do soon. What's a y day?

Ebe_Scrooge

strawberries1 wrote: »

Thank you everyone. I have no clue how to paint or anything of the sort. I'll see if I can get a reliable handyman and perhaps I'll help out so I learn from the experience too.

How do I figure out the difference please? Grout is the hard plaster-like stuff between the tiles. Silicone is the rubbery stuff that is used to seal between the bath ( or basin ) and the wall/tiles.

From Enfield to West Drayton

Not yes but will do soon. What's a y day? I think that was supposed to be "any day"

My replies in bold above.