End of Tenancy Cleaning Chelsea | Move Out Cleans Specialists

I know – there’s a lot to do when you’re moving out of your old house and into a new one. However, ensuring that your old house is beautifully clean is very important, especially if you’re moving out of a rental property because proper cleaning means you are very likely to get your deposit money. (I’d like to say you’re guaranteed to get your deposit money back, but one does run across difficult landlords who are impossible to please and who find all kinds of excuses, no matter how well you’ve cleaned the place when moving out.) In the case of selling your old house and buying a new one, you’re more likely to sell your house quickly if it’s nice, clean and attractive to prospective buyers.

What with one thing and another, it can be very easy to overlook some tasks when you do the big cleaning before moving out. It’s understandable – after all, there are some things that one only seems to clean during an end of tenancy cleaning or during fanatical sessions of spring cleaning. Nevertheless, landlords can and will check these places and insist on cleaning them properly. This is why you need to make sure that you have these tasks on your end of tenancy cleaning checklist.

Why You Need A List

For a start, you need to make sure that you have a list in the first place. Professional end of tenancy cleaning companies always use a checklist and that’s because when there’s a list of tasks to be done and places to clean, having a list means that every job will be done and nothing will be overlooked. When you’ve got a team of people on the job, a list also means that you won’t get the problem of someone wasting time trying to do a job that’s already been done. With a checklist, everybody knows where they are. Besides, it’s satisfying to cross all those tasks off the list!

Of course, if the list of tasks that need to be done as part of moving out cleaning is overwhelming, you could always call in a professional cleaning company to do the moving out cleaning for you. It’s not cheating!

OK, so now that you know you need a list of things to do so you don’t forget anything, what needs to be on the list? You’ve probably got things like vacuuming and wiping countertops on the list already (haven’t you?), but what about the other things, the things that are often forgotten? Well, here are eight tasks that need to be on there…

#1: Skirting Boards

Skirting boards, baseboards, dado rails, and architraves are real dust magnets. Most of the time, we just take them for granted and don’t really look at them unless we spill chutney or mustard on them (if this happens to you, act quickly; mustard stains). However, a thick layer of dust on these horizontal design elements really lowers the tone of the house. Make sure that they get dusted and wiped down. Even higher elements like architraves collect a surprising amount of dirt and (please, no!) mould.

#2: Inside The Oven

This may well be your least favourite job. If it is, you’re not alone. There’s no denying that getting all the old burned-on food and grease off the inside of the oven and the racks inside it is a tough job – and some landlords want to find a perfectly clean oven when they inspect the property. You can try doing it the natural way with baking soda and aluminium foil (and plenty of elbow grease!), or you can try one of those harsh chemical sprays (get the kids out of the house first and be sure to follow all the safety precautions). Nevertheless, it needs to be done, so don’t shirk the job. Make sure you also clean the range hood or extractor fan as well; these can pick up quite a lot of grease, even if you don’t fry much.

#3: Behind The Fridge

You never know what you’ll find lurking behind the refrigerator, from the spare keys to (if you’re really lucky) a few coins. However, what you’re most likely to find is dust, grime and debris. If you own the refrigerator, you’ll need to haul it out from where it’s been standing and give the floor and walls a good going-over as part of your moving out cleaning. If the fridge came with the house and your landlord owns it, then you still need to pull it out to clean the walls and floor behind the fridge – and the back of the fridge itself!

I’m assuming that you already know to clean the inside and front of the fridge. Defrosting the freezer unit can also be a nice touch, but this isn’t too hard: simply switch off the (empty!) fridge-freezer and put a towel or five in the freezer to absorb the melting water.

#4: Curtains

Curtains collect a surprising amount of dust, and they’ll need to be cleaned before you move out. Lace and net curtains can be taken down and washed by hand easily enough, as can some types of unlined curtains, although you may need to iron the curtain (on low!) afterwards. Thermal and lined curtains tend to be a bit trickier, and you will probably need to call in a professional or take the curtains down to your nearest dry cleaning agent.

Don’t forget the shower curtain – at least this can be tossed into the washing machine on cold and air-dried. If only everything was that simple!

#5: Cupboards

Every single cupboard, drawer and wardrobe in the house needs to be emptied out and wiped down inside and out. Sometimes, the amount of dust and grime that comes out during this process is staggering. “I was keeping my towels in that?” you might ask yourself.

If you’ve lined the bottoms of cupboards and drawers with paper (either fancy paper or recycled newspapers), then the job is a lot easier, as a lot of the gunk will come out on the paper, especially in kitchen cupboards. However, give the cupboards a good wipe after you’ve removed the liners.

#6: Walls

Walls need to be wiped down to remove fly spots, scuff marks, random spots of mysterious substances and the traces of the time your toddler got hold of a pencil while you were giving your attention elsewhere. Most painted surfaces are fairly easy to wipe down, as modern paints tend to be designed to be washable. You have to be a bit more careful with wallpaper, which can be worn away by rubbing and scrubbing.

Don’t forget to get right into the corners of the walls – this is where you’ll often find spiders.

#7: The Toilet – All Of It

Yes, you’ve cleaned the bowl and wiped the seat. However, depending on the accuracy of the males in your household, you may also need to take the seat right off and clean under the hinges. Don’t forget to clean around the outsides and back of the bowl as well as more obvious places like the top of the tank.

#8: Rubbish Bins

Lastly, you should make sure that there isn’t any rubbish or recycling left in the bins. Would you want to move into a place that had someone else’s old rubbish filling the bins right when you need to get rid of packaging waste and recycling? Of course not! Make sure that the bins go out for collection (and get them back in again) before you hand over the keys. If you make any other rubbish or recycling after that last collection day, then take responsibility for taking it to the rubbish dump or recycling centre, as appropriate.

We are all searching for ways of making cleaning faster and easier. Believe it or not, sometimes using “shortcuts” actually makes it more complicated in the long run. You and your family might even have developed some bad habits that interfere with your ability to do work more efficiently (you may even damage your home!)

It’s time to start correcting these habits so you can get to a cleaner home faster. Here’s an excellent way to start: Choose one or two lousy cleaning habits to change each week. You will soon have a cleaner home and more free time for things you like!

Too much paper accumulated in your home

Even with online billing and banking nowadays, there is still a mountain of paper in our homes. Magazines, newspapers, school newspapers and projects continue to accumulate. Don’t let that happen.

Designate a location near the entrance for all mail, periodicals and paper forms. Sort and throw them at least once a week.

Just make files on essential paper documents such as receipts. Take digital photos, and read your favourite articles online instead of buying magazines.

Using too many cleaning products

You think that if a bit of detergent works, then more of it will work better and faster. But this is not the case. Using too much detergent can do more damage than help. The residue becomes a magnet for dirt if the overabundance of cleaning products is not rinsed. So, you should peruse the instructions and always use the recommended amount or even a little less. You waste time and money on the extra product and water to rinse it off.

Cleaning with dirty tools

How can you expect clean results when using dirty cleaning tools? Your clothes will smell if your washing machine has accumulated bacteria in detergent residues. If the bag or filter in the vacuum cleaner is full of dust, it will no longer do a good job of sucking. A dirty mop or sponge pushes out more dirt and bacteria.

Take the time to thoroughly clean the appliances after each use by emptying them or washing them in hot water and adding disinfectant. Replace periodically with new tools.

Use disinfectant wipes to clean the entire bathroom

Disposable disinfectant wipes are great for quickly wiping the sink in the bathroom. But this little wipe hardly contains enough disinfectant to clean an entire bathroom. When you get to the toilet seat and handles, the disinfectant properties are gone, and you’re spreading bacteria from one surface to another.

The wipes must be sufficiently moistened and wet with disinfectant to be effective so that the surface remains wet for about four minutes. For thorough cleaning, use several clean wipes and enough disinfectant.

Leaving dirty dishes in the sink

What time will it take to place a grimy glass in the dishwasher rather than in the sink? Leaving dirty dishes in the sink is ideal for microorganisms to duplicate and nourish hungry insects.

Teach everybody in the family to either place the dishes in the dishwasher or wash them immediately.

Wearing outdoor shoes in the house

It takes only a couple of seconds to take off your shoes each time to come back from the outside. It will save you long stretches of vacuuming. Also, the microorganisms and microbes will stay outside your home.

Make this habit easier for everyone by providing a bench or chair for easier shoe removal. Keep a box for wet or muddy shoes nearby.

Improper storage of cleaning products

Do you spend half of your cleaning time trying to find the right cleaners and tools around? That is a bad habit that is easy to change.

Collect the necessary cleaners for each housing area and store them near it. You can place bathroom cleaners in a small plastic basket and put them on a shelf or under the sink. Use two baskets of consumables if you have bathrooms upstairs and downstairs.

Store furniture dusting products and tools together for quick access. And, of course, store all laundry products safely in the laundry room.

Accumulation of food in the refrigerator

If your family hates leftovers, why bother putting them in the fridge? If you will not use the food immediately, throw it away. Improperly putting away food advances the development of microscopic organisms and makes cleaning the refrigerator much harder.

Leaving the bed unmade

Whether the remainder of the room is perfect and spotless, an unmade bed makes it seem chaotic. Caring for your bed every morning is a habit that will encourage organising the rest of the room (and maybe the whole house).
Simplify the task by choosing bed linen that is easy to spread. A bed with ordinary blankets and pillowcases is much easier to fix than a bed with pretentious pillows.

Not reading the instructions

Have you ever had to perform a task again, such as cleaning soap scum from tiles, because the cleaner did not work? You may have yet to read the instructions.

Most detergents work slowly, and it takes some time for the ingredients to do their job to be easily cleaned or rinsed. Spend 30 seconds reading the instructions to avoid 30 minutes of extra rubbing.

Using surface irritants

Just as using too much detergent can be a bad habit, using too harsh detergent on the surfaces to be cleaned is also wrong. You can cause more harm than good if the cleaner damages the coatings or poses a danger to your pets and family.

A good example is chlorine bleach. Although it is a good disinfectant, it is not a suitable detergent, and fumes can be toxic. Utilise the gentlest cleaning items expected to accomplish results.

Dusting after cleaning

Save some effort by cleaning the dust before vacuuming. You must clean all rooms from top to bottom so that you can vacuum the dust afterwards.
Remember how a disinfectant cloth can’t effectively clean an entire bathroom? The same goes for duster cloths. Take a clean cloth when the one you use turns deep grey because you no longer catch dust. You push it with dirty dust.

Failure to complete tasks

Try to complete a task once you have started it. If you take out the ironing board, continue for a break on social media until you have finished ironing.
If you have only 15 minutes to clean, start arranging and placing the items correctly. Then, if you deviate, you can come back later to do a deeper cleaning.

Postponing the cleaning work until it becomes impossible

Delaying cleaning and waiting until the task becomes impossible is one of the most difficult bad habits you must stop. Most of us can’t meet this challenge and avoid it for as long as possible.

But cleaning the whole house will be easy if you and your family clean daily, loading and unloading the dishwasher, loading the laundry, and vacuuming one or two rooms.

Now, for a more positive outlook, here is a great list of cleaning tips to get you started on a sound footing.

A thorough cleaning is not a woman’s favourite way to spend her free time. Therefore, the shorter and smoother it is, the better. Here are ten clever tips for a clean home.

Tip 1
To clean the blender without much effort, you must first fill it with water and drop 1-2 drops of dish detergent. Then turn on the blender for a few seconds until the water turns. Finally, pour out the old liquid, rinse and dry.

Tip 2
If you want to remove dark stains from the tub without spending hours rubbing it, you must pass it with a grapefruit cut in half and a little salt. In addition, this way, your bathroom will smell like citrus fruits.

Tip 3
To remove the accumulated limescale on the bottom of the kettle, pour water into it, and add two tsp. of vinegar, and wait until the liquid boils. Then rinse.

Tip 4
Used tea bags to clean glass surfaces and dishes from residual grease stains.

Tip 5
You will clean the joints in the bathroom without any problem with water and alcohol, or vodka. After spraying the tiles with the prepared “detergent”, wait about 10 minutes. During this time, the alcohol will break down the dried soap and dirt. Then rinse. Remember that this method not only cleans but also disinfects the bathroom.

Tip 6
The dried glue, caused by half-peeled labels on jars and new dishes, will be removed without much rubbing if you pass the place with nail polish remover.

Tip 7
Burnt pots will shine again if you sprinkle the bottom with baking soda, sprinkle some water on top and wait about 3 hours until the home cleaner breaks down the sticky residue.

Tip 8
To protect the curtain in the bathroom from mould, you need to soak it in a solution of salt and water before hanging it. If you decide to wash it, put it in the washing machine with a few towels and add 4-5 drops of lemon juice into the washing powder.

Tip 9
The windows of the shower cabin will not look dirty and with drops of water if once a month you pass them with a towel on which you have dropped a few drops of essential oil of lemon. That will make the water easier to wash off without drying the glass.

Tip 10
The creaking door will no longer make ugly noises if you lubricate its hinges with vaseline. Pencil graphite has the same effect.

How to deal with house dust?

House dust is the enemy of many housewives. Sometimes more than regular home cleaning is needed to deal with its presence. Here are some tips to help keep house dust out of your home.

1. Clean with a slightly damp cloth – this way, the dust sticks to the fabric and does not spread in the air. Household wet wipes also work.
2. Always open the windows while cleaning. Fresh air must enter the room to displace house dust. If air currents occur, there is a risk of household dust spreading to other rooms.
3. When cleaning, remember to dust decorative pillows, blankets, and bedspreads, as home textiles collect the most household dust. Regularly changing bed linen also helps to deal with the problem.
4. Clean the vacuum cleaner bag every three uses. That prevents household dust from spreading through the air the next time you use the appliance.
5. Most housewives wrongly think laminate flooring attracts more house dust than carpet or rug. The truth is that the dust accumulates no matter what the flooring is. The difference is that parquet cleaning is faster and easier, as contaminated areas are visible, while with carpets, household dust seeps into the fabric and requires special care.
6. Keep the child’s plush toys in a unique basket or box, as their material attracts house dust.
7. Maintaining higher humidity in the room means less static electricity, which is a prerequisite for reducing the amount of house dust on furniture and appliances.

Remember that the amount of house dust also depends on the location of your home. If you are on a busy street in a big city, house dust at home is inevitable.

Keep in mind these things when doing seasonal cleaning:

• Act consistently. Do not clean two rooms simultaneously because it wastes more energy. When you focus on just one room, you save time and effort.
• Clean the wardrobe. In this case, we are not just talking about removing clothes that no longer suit you or you are tired of. After removing everything from the closet/wardrobe, thoroughly clean the corners, which often become a “home” of various microbes and pests.
• Wash the curtains. Some housewives try to save effort by washing only the windows without removing the curtains. But dusty curtains will only endanger clean windows. Remove the curtains and wipe the windows while washing. Stretch the curtains as soon as the washing machine finishes not to wrinkle and save on ironing.
• Clean the carpets. Studies show that regular vacuuming eliminates 80% of carpet dirt. For the remaining 20%, ​​you need to take extra care. If you do not intend to wash the carpets, wipe them with a wet towel to pick hair and refresh the colour.
• Pay attention to the locker in the bathroom. Expired cosmetics are often collected there. Throw away everything you haven’t used in months and aren’t sure if it’s still durable. It is better to buy a new product than to get a rash.
• Clean the refrigerator. After thawing, clean with a cotton cloth, paying particular attention to the corners where the mould collects. To smell nice, sprinkle cotton with vanilla and place it in the refrigerator.
• In winter, people usually place the furniture closer to each other to create a feeling of warmth and cosiness. But when spring comes, you can make some adjustments to make the room look more spacious.

Most women do not imagine that cleaning the home can provide them with cleanliness and a slim figure.

A team of experts in the UK has calculated how many calories burn in various household activities, which can be a more effective means of losing weight than strict diets.

Sweeping the floor with a broom for an hour burns 153 calories. Washing it with a rag burns 187 calories in just 30 minutes. Rubbing the bathroom and toilet for 15 minutes helps you burn another 90 calories. A bonus is sculpting the biceps, which women can form during regular cleaning.

The effectiveness of cleaning depends on the size of the home. An average of 30 minutes of cleaning burns 119 calories. Washing the windows inside and out melts 167 calories in half an hour. Arranging your wardrobe will delight you with 85 calories less and perfectly folded clothes.

Equally important is to avoid time- and effort-costing mistakes and bad cleaning habits!
Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s grab the rags!

I like my job as an end-of-tenancy cleaning team supervisor. But even on my brightest day, I would not call it interesting. Challenging, dynamic, demanding – but hardly interesting. A couple of weeks, however, something happened that might have changed my opinion on that.

We had received a standard pre-scheduled tenancy cleaning booking for a 3-bedroom apartment in south Chelsea, close to the Physic Garden. From all the details left by the tenant, the place was in excellent condition and did not look like a cleaning challenge. The only peculiarity was that the person who booked us would not be able to attend the final check-up, but she assured us that her landlady (in her early sixties) would. Contrary to what you may think, this happens quite often.

We arrived on time and immediately rolled our sleeves (the tenant had provided us with a key). The apartment was indeed very neat and well-kept. In just under three hours, my team was about done. I was just starting to throw an impatient glance at my watch, wondering if the landlady would ever appear, when the front door opened. In came a very beautiful lady in her late thirties (or at least she looked at that age).

I stopped dead in my tracks. A quick aside – I love watching TV, especially the new BBC and ITV shows. So I could recognise the woman in a couple of seconds – it was Suranne Jones! She immediately saw my reaction and jokingly said: “Let’s get this out of the way – yes, it’s me, and sure – we can take a selfie if you wish!” I managed to gather my last shreds of professionalism and declined the offer (barely!).

As it turned out, the apartment belonged to her parents, who had asked her to take care of the tenancy cleaning inspection. She couldn’t be sweeter and more cooperative – not a shred of celebrity pride about her!

Anyway, I could hardly expect to meet another big star on my next job. But this encounter made my year so far!