The last thing you want to do is clean. You just packed, loaded and unloaded your life in the moving truck that is sitting in the driveway. But if you want to make sure you are going to lay your head down in a fresh, clean home, you have to gather enough strength to make it spotless and sparkle.
This guide will give you a few cleaning suggestions to follow when you first arrive in your new apartment. Before you consider bringing one box in and unpacking it, get out the cleaning supplies and make sure your new digs are dirt-free.
Cleaning Supplies
Your new place is going to be as clean as the supplies you use. Though it is tempting to pick up cleaning supplies at any local buck store like the Dollar Tree, it is not wise if you want a truly germ-free living space. When versus quantity, quality wins as far as cleaning supplies are concerned.
Most often supplies that really scour an area clean are not cheap and should be bought by the brand and not generic name. Windex, Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, Easy Off Oven Cleaner, Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Fantastik, Comet, Resolve Carpet Cleaner and Mr. Clean are all powerful products that will get the job well done!
Walk Through
Upon arrival to your new apartment, you will want to complete a walk-through of each room, checking for existing dirt on blinds, windows, window ledges, ceiling fans, light fixtures, doors, walls, baseboards or duct work. Ideally, the tenant before you cleaned thoroughly or the landlord hired a cleaning service to scour the living space, however such ideals are not realistic when it comes to rentals.
With so many tenants in and out of an apartment, it is apt to hold on to some dirt. That is why it is so important to make sure you check all corners of every room before you begin bringing in your belongings.
Bathroom and Kitchen
Once you have walked through your new pad, tackle the bathroom and kitchen first. Since both rooms run water, you will be able to quickly wipe down the areas with a moist cloth. When in the bathroom, take a moment to wipe down the vanity and go through each drawer to check for any grime. Though it may appear clean, rinse out the toilet bowl with chemicals, removing any possible germs from the tank.
As for the kitchen, concentrate on the refrigerator and oven as well as the cabinets and sink. Run a moist paper towel with Windex over the top of the refrigerator to collect any dust and dirt that has accumulated in the loft space since the last tenant lived there.
Bedrooms and Closets
Cleaning the bedrooms and closets will be the easiest areas to clean since they are essentially empty with no cabinets, sinks and such. The only chore you may have to perform in the sleeping space is to vacuum or wash the floors depending on whether or not you have carpet or hardwood.
After, run a moist cloth over the baseboard and ductwork to remove any dust that has accrued in the ventilation and heating systems. When it comes to the closets, simply vacuum or mop the floor.
Living and Dining Room
Like the bedrooms, these quarters are also fairly easy to clean by vacuuming or mopping and wiping down windows with Windex. After the windows, quickly wash down the blinds or vacuum the drapes from any existing dust and dirt. Check the ceiling corners for cobwebs to make sure there are no little furry friends currently living in the room before you move in.