6 Tips for Cleaning Your Rental Before Moving In
23 July 2022

6 Tips for Cleaning Your Rental Before Moving In

Getting the keys for your new rental is exciting. Understandably, you probably can’t wait to decorate it with your favorite belongings and hop on the road to success in the big city you just moved to.

However, you might want to wait for that. If you really want to enjoy your new home, you must clean it first. And the best time to do that is before all your personal stuff clutter up the space. Here are six tips for cleaning your rental before moving in to do it properly.

1) Begin with the Highest Point

The first rule of thorough cleaning is to start at the highest point and work your way down. Simply because of the gravitation. If you’re moving into your first rental, you might not know where to start. So, start by cleaning the ceiling fan, then move on to the ceiling corners and the overhead lights.

Keep in mind that globe-shaped light figures tend to accumulate dust. The next step is to work your way downward, beginning with the walls and ending with the flooring.

Lights on the ceiling.

Globus-shaped lights are known dust-collectors.

2) Make Your Way Toward the Door

Another method to organize your cleaning duties in a room is to begin your search at the most remote location from the front door. When it comes to cleaning the floors, this is an essential consideration. You definitely don’t want to walk on the carpet after it’s been newly cleaned while wearing dusty shoes that you’ve been cleaning with!

3) Germ Destruction is an Essential Part of Cleaning Your Rental Before Moving In

The tenants who lived in your new rental before you probably touched every little spot in it thousands of times. So, when you first come to an apartment, put your jam on and make it a habit to clean anything you come into contact with daily. This includes things like:

  • Counters
  • Knobs
  • Dials
  • Buttons
  • Locks
  • As well as anything else that has a handle
Person disinfecting a phone.

During the pandemic, we all learned the importance of the disinfection of small surfaces

Disinfect the Bathtub

After removing all traces of the previous person who used the tub and disinfecting it, you will be in a much better position to enjoy a relaxing soak in the tub. Dish soap and a sponge may be used as a quick and simple cleaning hack for the bathtub. But, if the tub has more stubborn stains, you may need to call the help of a more conventional cleaner.

Do you favor an all-natural approach? Use equal parts of baking soda, borax, and kosher salt to produce an excellent cleaning scrub free of any chemicals with unpronounceable names.

4) Give Your Home’s Electronics a Once-over

Even your dishwasher needs some assistance to achieve optimal cleanliness. To begin, put just one cup of white vinegar on the top rack of the dishwasher and run a cycle using the hot water setting if your dishwasher has such a setting. After that, place a cup of baking soda on the bottom rack of the dishwasher, and start a second hot cycle.

First, sterilize the interior and outside of the microwave, then move to the refrigerator. You should take down as many shelves as possible and clean them thoroughly. You could even let them soak in the sink or the bathtub. A mixture of white vinegar and water is an excellent all-purpose cleaner that is safe to use around food.

Give Some Love to the Oven

Don’t forget to clean your oven! It may seem clean on the outside, but it can be a mess on the inside. In fact, it’s one of the essential steps when cleaning your rental before moving in. If your dishwasher has the space, you may give the buttons, racks, and drip pans a thorough cleaning by placing them in there.

If the racks are caked with black filth, you may soak them in ammonia for the whole night inside a zipped bag. And don’t forget to clean the grease from the oven hood, either!

5) Take All the Skeletons out of the Closet

After all of your curiosities and odds and ends have been stored in the closets, it is unlikely that you will ever remove them to clean the space again. Clear the dust from the corners, and think about lining the shelves with vinyl or decorative paper (just make sure it’s not permanent).

Shelf lining not only makes the shelves seem organized but also makes them much simpler to clean and may hide unsightly scratches and stains that prior renters left behind. Also, it’s a quite affordable way to personalize this part of your home. It’s a win-win situation.

6) Finish Up with Spotless Floors

Under your own feet, your floor is likely to become unsanitary very quickly. You should make it a priority to remove any footprints left by the previous occupant. Cleaning tile, laminate flooring, and hardwood floors with a steam mop are fast and straightforward.

If you want to clean hardwood floors with a standard mop, make sure that the mop is just moist and not dripping wet. You don’t want to cause any damage because you might be liable for it. Also, use a cleaner compatible with the finish on the floor.

Feet on the floor.

Make your floors clean as a mirror.

There Are a lot of Things to do After Moving in too

It may seem like your job is done after you finally remove the last dust on the carpet, but it isn’t. There are still many things to take care of, and some might not even be obvious. As professional movers suggest, once you settle your belongings in the new rental, it’s only the start of the process.

Before introducing yourself to the neighbors and new surroundings, you’ll need a thorough inspection, lock changing, and unpacking. These are just some of the things to do after moving in. Only after all that is done will you be able to enjoy your new home.

Final Thoughts

Cleaning your rental before moving in has several benefits. It’s easier to do without your personal clutter. Also, having a ‘clean slate’ while you’re moving in will speed up the process, and you’ll be ready to go and live your life in no time. So, follow these tips and begin your new life and journey to success.