4 move out cleaning tips to get back your deposit

Moving out can be a really stressful time and it’s made even more stressful with all the cleaning duties and inspections needed in order to properly end the lease and get your deposit back. Although the best option is to keep you space spotless all year round with the help of a maid service, a good backup plan to hiring a professional cleaning service can be found in doing these 4 things before that super important, final inspection.

Scheduling time between when you can move into your new space and when you have to be out of the old space is so incredibly helpful and really lowers your over stress level. No one likes moving out and in a single day, doing all the moving work in addition to all the cleaning work. It’s just way more stress than what’s necessary. If you simply give yourself a week of overlap, you can focus on getting your new place spotless and moving all your belongings into your new home. Then you can focus on cleaning your old space correctly.

Doing this will also give you the chance to clean an empty space, which is far easier to clean than one filled with furniture or boxes stacked to the ceilings. 

2. Do a pre-inspection

There’s nothing in the rule book that says you can’t do more than one inspection! Thinking outside the box and asking your old landlord for a pre-inspection is a great way to bring them into the process and making them feel like you really care about leaving the space better than when you arrived. It also helps you identify the things you may have overlooked and the spaces they don’t actually care about, so you don’t have to waste time cleaning something they’re not interested in having clean. Pre-inspections are wonderful ways to save time and effort!

3. Protective layers

Your carpet and flooring are the easiest places to find dirt and damage. You’ve probably spent some amount of effort over the term of your lease cleaning and maintaining this space, so don’t mess it up at the finish line by letting friends and movers track dirt and mud into the house. By laying down a protective plastic sheet along the path into and out of your home, you can prevent the flooring from being scuffed and dirtied as you move out.

4. White silicone caulk

Your bathrooms and kitchen are probably the most difficult places to clean and those thin white lines between the flooring and your fixtures like the tub, toilet, and sink will not get clean no matter how much bleach or cleaner you use. That’s because the dirt, grease, and grime is imbedded into the old silicone. The best and fastest way to touch up these spaces is to add a thin layer of new white silicone over the old and then clean up the excess with a damp paper towel. The lines will absolutely pop again, and you’ll save yourself the trouble of learning that old grey caulk can’t turn white again. 

Moving out can be a real headache, and if you’re ready to put your attention towards the move and not the cleaning, give us a ring to schedule your cleaning, and have all the hassle and work taken away.