Moving into a new place can be both exciting and stressful. Whether you are preparing for your college move-in day or settling into an off-campus apartment, the process can feel demanding. There is a lot on your mind, but cleaning doesn’t need to take up mental space. Learning how to clean apartment spaces before the move-in day will reduce the overwhelming feeling that can arise during the process.
When you move into a new place, you’re expecting a clean apartment. For hygiene purposes, the apartment should be cleaned before you move in. However, that is not always the case. Sometimes, the place is not cleaned as thoroughly as needed. In other instances, the place may have been visited by maintenance workers, which can re-introduce dirt. If you’re unfortunate enough, your place may not have been cleaned at all. Can you imagine facing grime and dirt after settling into your new place? Well, no so follow this guide on how to clean apartment before move-in day.
Quick Tips on How to Deep Clean Apartment
- This is beyond surface cleaning. Therefore, think about areas that may have been looked over. Move appliances to access behind and beneath tight spaces.
- If you are moving into a furnished apartment, consider cleaning everything provided, from utensils to items of furniture.
- You might need a ladder for the harder-to-reach areas.
Make a deep-cleaning apartment checklist.
A cleaning checklist helps you save valuable time. You have a lot to do during the move-in process; therefore, you can forget to clean specific areas. A checklist ensures that you have a guide to follow while helping you stay on track.
Take a moment to note the areas you want to target in your apartment. However, if you want to work smarter and not harder, this article has the most important spaces you need to target in your apartment. Simply use this guide to make your cleaning apartment checklist.
Focus on the hidden spaces.
Even if your apartment is not yet furnished, you still have areas that aren’t completely visible. Here are a few of the hidden spaces in your apartment:
- Cabinet interiors
- Drawer interiors
- Beneath ovens and refrigerators
Before you think about placing anything in those cabinets and drawers, you need to clean and disinfect them. This is the best time to do it before introducing your items.
Step 1: Dust the interior of your cabinets and drawers with a microfiber cloth.
Step 2: Spray your disinfectant on a clean microfiber towel and proceed to wipe the interior. First, test it out on a small area to ensure you’re not damaging the finish in your cabinet interiors.
For your bigger appliances, such as ovens and refrigerators, sweep and mop those hidden areas after moving the appliances.
Dust each crevice.
You will be surprised by how many places dust can reside in your apartment. First, dust the spaces that are above eye level before targeting lower areas. A few areas that need dusting are:
- Air grille
- The top space of door frames
- Light fixtures
- Ceiling fans
- Windowsills
- Baseboards
How to clean your apartment like a professional? If you’ve wondered how professionals get a space to sparkle with low effort, then you need to start dusting.
Step 1: Dust the area with a microfiber cloth or a traditional feather duster.
Step 2: Prepare a solution of warm water and dish detergent.
Step 3: Place a microfiber cloth in the soapy water and wring out the excess. The cloth should be damp, not wet.
Step 4: Use the cloth to clean the top of your door frames, windowsills, baseboards, and ceiling fan blades.
Caution: Liquid and electricity do not mix. If you’re considering deep cleaning glass fixtures after dusting, follow these steps. First, make sure everything is powered off before proceeding. The lights should be off for a few hours to prevent burning and accidents. Second, unscrew the light bulb. Third, place your fixtures into a mixture of warm water and dish soap. After soaking for approximately 15-30 minutes, you can gently clean with a cloth or sponge. When you’re done, rinse and allow to dry before assembly.
Zap the germs!
You can’t learn how to deep clean apartment surfaces without having this on your checklist. A thorough cleaning requires disinfecting. A few spaces you need to target are:
- Door handles
- Cabinet handles
Besides your horizontal surfaces, such as your countertop spaces and stove tops, make sure you’re also disinfecting the items listed above.
Step 1: Place your cloth in a solution of warm water and dish soap.
Step 2: Clean the areas you’re disinfecting with the damp cloth.
Step 3: Allow to dry, then spray your disinfectant. Make sure the surface are wet and leave them on for the directed disinfecting time. The directions on your label should specify the needed contact time to kill germs based on the disinfectant you are using.
Clean the appliances.
Although the appliances may appear clean, it doesn’t hurt to do a swift clean. Appliances you need to consider cleaning are:
- Microwave
- Refrigerator
- Dishwasher
- Oven
There are simple ways to do all of this. If you’ve ever searched “how to clean apartment fast”, then you need to look into cleaning hacks. For instance, these microwave cleaning hacks have all the tips and tricks you need to clean and refresh your microwave.
The refrigerator components, such as the icemaker and bins should be taken out and washed thoroughly. Simply, wash them in a sink of soapy water and rinse. Clean inside your refrigerator by using a damp cloth submerged in warm soapy water.
For your dishwasher, manually clean the inside component of the door with a damp cloth of warm soapy water. You can also clean your dishwasher seal the same way. Some dishwashers are equipped with self-cleaning cycles, and following the manufacturer’s instructions is recommended to clean the interior. If your dishwasher is not self-cleaning, follow these steps for a quick clean:
Step 1: Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of your dishwasher.
Step 2: Run the hottest cycle.
Take care of the walls.
If you pay close attention, you may notice spots on the walls of your new place. A clean wall freshens up the look of your apartment Want to learn how to clean apartment walls in the simplest way possible? Follow these steps:
Step 1: Using a long-reach duster, wipe all the surfaces you intend to clean.
Step 2: Prepare a solution of warm water and dish detergent.
Step 3: Using a damp sponge mop, thoroughly clean the wall to brighten its appearance.
Clean your filters.
Many people forget to clean their microwave grease filters. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the previous tenant forgot to do so as well. Cleaning increases the efficiency of filters, so the exhaust fan can properly cycle clean air throughout your kitchen.
This filter is located beneath your microwave. To remove the filters, give them a slight upward push and work from side to side to slide them out. Here are the simple cleaning steps:
Step 1: Run warm water in your sink.
Step 2: Add dish detergent and half a scoop of oxi stain remover.
Step 2: Soak your microwave filters for 1-2 hours.
Don’t forget the bathroom!
This is most people’s least favorite place to clean. Fortunately, there are bathroom cleaning hacks and tips that will speed up the process for you.
The floors need love too.
Coming from outside, you can easily introduce contaminants into your apartment. Therefore, it is important to include the floors in your apartment cleaning checklist.
After thoroughly cleaning your apartment, shift the focus to your floors.
For hardwood floors: A spray mop system will work just fine.
For tile floors: A steam mop can give you the results you’re looking for.
For carpet: Vacuums are still the best option if you have carpet and rugs in your apartment.
Cleaning supplies
The cleaning supplies you use are also key when cleaning your apartment. Here is a list of recommended cleaning products and tools that can help you while cleaning.
For dusting:
For cleaning:
- Dish detergent
- Disinfectant
- Baking soda
- Oxi stain remover
- Microfiber mop
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