Top 10 DIY End of Lease Cleaning Tips
Amazing Information On DIY End of Lease Cleaning
End of lease cleaning is something that not everybody will take into consideration, but should.
Making sure that your lease is clean before you leave is an essential process to making sure you get back your entire deposit/bond.
Because the property is not the landlord’s responsibility to clean, depending on your lease, they might have to hire extra cleaning help if the space is not clean enough.
To prevent this, it’s helpful to know what real estate agents are looking for with a bond cleaning, whether or not it’s worth it to clean yourself, and how to do it.
In this article, we’re going to go into the details of all 3 aforementioned topics so you can be prepared for when your lease is about to end and it’s time to consider cleaning.
Remember you may also need to clean the carpets and also get flea treatment or pest control. Cleaning the carpets can either be done by hiring a carpet cleaning machine or getting them professionally cleaned. This usually involves calling a carpet cleaner and booking them into do the job. Local carpet cleaners like Pro Carpet Cleaning Brisbane offer end of lease cleaning discounts to tenants moving out. When we spoke to Mark Sanderson from Pro Carpet Cleaning he gave us the following advice. ‘People moving out don’t always need to hire a professional, if the carpets aren’t that dirty you can hire a machine from your local supermarket or hardware for about $50 for a few hours. They are powerful enough to clean normal carpets.”
So, without further ado, let’s get right into it:
What Do Real Estate Agents Expect from Bond Cleaning?
Real estate agents expect many things when cleaning, but a few are essential things you should be aware of:
- Apartment or house fully cleaned and dusted
- No trash left in the apartment
- No trash left in the apartment
- No personal belongings in the apartment
- No personal belongings in the apartment
- No remaining hairs (if animals were in the apartment)
- No remaining hairs (if animals were in the apartment)
- All included appliances fully cleaned (inside of dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave)
- All included appliances fully cleaned (inside of dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave)
- Carpets professionally steam cleaned
- Flea treatment – if you had pets
Do It Yourself Bond Cleaning – Is It Worth It?
While it is possible to hire professionals to clean your apartment before the end of your lease, you can save a great deal of money by doing it yourself.
The most common misconception regarding the end of lease cleaning is that it’s difficult to do.
However, here are some benefits to learning how to do it yourself:
- Become a more efficient cleaner
- Save money of having to hire professionals
- Get your entire deposit/bond back
Top 10 Tips for DIY End of Lease Cleaning
Tip:1
Don’t start your end of lease cleaning until you’re completely moved out of your apartment.
This will save you time in the long run, as you won’t have to worry about cleaning around your belongings.
Without anything in the way, you’ll be able to get into those hard-to-clean spots!
Tip:2
Begin by dusting your window coverings such as blinds, curtains, or draperies.
This is one of the most visible places to see dust, so making sure to do this step can be the difference between having a landlord pay for extra cleaning and not.
Tip:3
Start your cleaning from the top down! By this, we mean that it’s easiest to start by dusting and de-cobwebbing the ceiling, then moving your way from the walls down to the floor.
This is a great way to keep track of your cleaning process, as you can organize your apartment to make sure that you don’t miss any sections.
Tip:4
Once you clean the general apartment, focus your attention to the kitchen and your appliances.
Make sure you include your refrigerator and dishwasher in this process as well!
These are important things that many people overlook when doing their end of lease cleaning.
Tip:5
Cleaning your bathroom is essential to a thorough cleaning process.
It might seem surprising, but your shower can accumulate a surprising amount of dust.
Because of this, make sure to dust your shower, toilet, and any other dimly-lit areas in your bathroom.
Tip:6
Make sure all drawers and closets are fully clean.
When you take all of your clothing out of your closets and drawers, it can be easy to mistakenly think that they’ll be instantly clean.
However, your clothes can leave a lot behind, so be sure to verify that they are clean before finishing your end of lease cleaning.
Tip:7
Wipe down all glass areas such as mirrors and windows.
Having clean windows and mirrors can make a huge difference that you might not notice without cleaning them.
This is because dirty particles of dust accumulate on glass surfaces, eventually making their reflections not clear.
The best way to wipe them down is taking a damp cloth and cleaning them with Windex!
Tips:8
Vacuuming the carpet at All Times is Key!
Many make the mistake of only vacuuming their apartment carpet once at the beginning of the cleaning process.
The truth is, if you can only do it once, do it at the end, but you ensure a more thorough clean by vacuuming all the carpeted areas at the beginning and the end of your cleaning.
This allows you to get anything that you hadn’t noticed before!
Tip:9
Mop up after vacuuming!
The best way to make sure that a floor is cleaned is mopping after you’re done the vacuuming.
To tell if you did a good job, wipe a damp towel on the floor—if it comes back clean, you’re good to go!
Tip:10
Take out all trash!
If you leave any trash behind, you might be charged a disposal fee, so make sure to bring out multiple trash bags with you as you’re leaving the apartment.
Final Thoughts
Cleaning your apartment before the end of your lease is a prospect that intimidates many people.
However, it really isn’t as intimidating as it seems, especially if you know what you’re doing.
By following our tips, you’ll be on your way to getting your bond deposit back in no time!
We hope this article has helped. If you have any questions please comment or get in touch.
