Moving house: how to clean when moving into a new place

Key steps

1. Sometimes, the moving out cleaning hasn’t been done as it should have been – make sure you’re moving into a clean space.

2. For a thorough approach to moving in cleaning, start with the ceilings and clean your way down to the floors.

3. Take time to clean areas you might not revisit for a while, such as behind appliances or radiators.

When moving house, it’s important that your new home feels like yours, and that means removing certain reminders of the previous occupants. Lingering smells, grime, cobwebs and dust should all be gone by the time you transfer your belongings into your new home, so that your fresh start can be just that. Here are some things to do when moving in:

To make the most of moving in cleaning, start at the top and work your way down! Dusting the ceilings before cleaning the floors will prevent any dust and dirt from falling on newly cleaned floors so you don’t have to clean them twice.

1. Moving house cleaning starts before you move in

Although moving etiquette means the previous owners should really have done a thorough moving out cleaning of the house, but the job is often not done up to scratch. If this is the case, wipe away all your new home’s mental and physical webs before you move your things in, as it will be harder to do a thorough clean once your belongings are in place. Here’s how:

2. Clean your new home from high to low

You don’t want dust, dirt, and bugs drifting down onto newly polished wood floors! Start with your ceiling and work your way down. The webs and dust that you dislodge from the corners of your ceiling with a mop or broom should be whisked away from the walls, and from mantels and other surfaces, and then finally swept up from the floor.

3. Clean areas of your new home that you’re unlikely to clean again

How many times have you washed your walls? When moving house, try to focus on areas you know you are unlikely to tackle again soon. This way, you’ll begin the time in your new home mentally and physically refreshed. These areas could include:

• The walls

• Behind appliances

• Inside cupboards

• Along baseboards and moulding

• Vents and fans

• Radiators

• Garbage disposal units

• The basement and the attic

4. Clean the surfaces in your new home that are frequently touched

It’s hard to feel as if your beginning is new when other people’s grime is polluting your surfaces! You’ll notice the previous occupants’ marks of habitation are primarily focused on the household fittings that are most commonly touched. Finish your thorough moving cleaning by tackling these areas with a multi-purpose cleaner like Cif Anti-bacterial Spray, or a dedicated cleaner for the bathroom or kitchen like Domestos Zero Limescale:

• The appliances (hob, oven, fridge, microwave, dishwasher, washing machine)

• The toilet, bath, shower, and sinks

• The door handles

• The light switches and other buttons

Now that your new home is clean, you can move your belongings in, and begin to feel like you have truly made it yours!