The move out cleaning can either be carried out by a professional company or you can do it on your own. Another possibility is to clean parts of your home by yourself and organize a cleaning company for the rest. If you intend to carry ou the move out cleaning on your own, we have some tips on what you should pay attention to.
What to take into account for the move out cleaning
After the strenuous move, cleaning can’t be such a big deal right? This may be the general assumption, however, it’s important not to underestimate the move out cleaning as it needs to be much more thorough than your average household cleaning. Make sure you pay close attention to the following points and you are all set for a swift and successful apartment handover.
Remove all wall stickers
The best way to remove stickers and label residues is to use a hairdryer. Heat up the adhesive residues and carefully scrape it off with a knife or spatula. Make sure not to put too much pressure on the painted surface to avoid damaging the paint.
Clean the window frames
Use warm water with washing-up liquid to clean the window frames. You can repair damaged paint on the frames with the matching color. In addition, change the water regularly whilst cleaning, so that no traces of dirty water are left behind.
Clean the carpet
Shampoo your carpets, if possible with cleaning agents from specialist dealers. In general, it is worthwhile to hire professionals for this. If you want to do it by yourself, you should seek advice from a specialist to ensure that you’re using appropriate products and gear. Otherwise, you may end up damaging the carpet.
Clean sealed parquet flooring
If a carpet was covering the parquet, you should remove any adhesive residue. Afterwards, you can mop the floor with a mix of warm water and special parquet cleaning agent and leave it to dry.
Clean wooden surfaces
Everything made of wood (doors, window frames, window sills, etc.), whether painted or stained, can be cleaned with mild soapy water. It is generally recommended to work from top to bottom. That way dirt is swept to the ground. Liquids may be used generously in order to avoid streaks. Also make sure to dry everything thoroughly in the end. Carefully remove stubborn stains and dirt with stronger cleaning agents.
Wardrobes
First, remove drawers and any wardrobe contact paper. Then clean the wardrobe with soapy water and let it dry. Remove all remaining adhesive residues with white spirit or other diluents. Open the windows and don’t smoke inside the room. Once the drawer rails and the drawers themselves are clean, you can reinsert the drawers.
Sockets
Sockets should be dusted if necessary. Important: Don’t use any liquids!
Blinds
No alkaline, acidic or otherwise aggressive cleaning agents should be used to clean blinds or window shutters. Wooden blinds should be oiled and sun blinds should be thoroughly brushed off.
Don’t forget: Connecting rods, slat blinds etc. should be cleaned inside and outside with warm soapy water. Clean individual slats well and don’t forget to rinse them with clean water, otherwise you may get streaks.
Walls and ceilings
Generally, walls and ceilings aren’t as dirty as floors. Nevertheless, there might be some stains after having lived there for a while. How to remove stains depends on the material. Dispersion, latex paint, gloss lacquers, vinyl coatings as well as high-quality paint can be washed quite easily.
Before cleaning an entire wall, clean the more heavily stained areas first. Start in one corner and then work your way from top to bottom and from one side to the other. Dab the wall carefully dry after washing it and make sure that no liquid goes in between the wallpaper. Finally clean the doors and skirting.
Wallpaper made of textile or metal should not be washed with water. Instead, it can be vacuum cleaned. If the risk of damaging it is too big, it’s better to check with the landlord first, whether or not you should clean them.
Small stains can be cleaned with a clean soft white eraser. Melanin sponges are also really useful and cleaning walls with them can get rid of almost any dirt. However, they are not suitable for polished, glossy, lacquered or dark surfaces.
In order not to forget anything, download our checklist for your key handover.
