If you have decided to ignore the part of your contract that asks for a professional clean, or if you don’t have such a clause, then cleaning the flat at the end of the tenancy can be a bit of a nightmare. You will find that there are a great many different ways in which to go about it, but the following step by step series of ideas on how you can get the job done correctly should ensure that you are cleaned and ready to leave as soon as you need to! The time surrounding the cleaning period will be extremely difficult, in that you will likely have a fair amount of other stuff to be getting on with in order to complete the move successfully, so be sure to give yourself time to get everything done, as rushing things will likely result in a badly done job, and could even spell disaster in terms of accidents and the like! You should only clean once you have moved everything out, and finished all the DIY repairs that need doing. These processes take up a lot of time, and need to be done thoroughly, but they also make a fair amount of mess. If you elect to clean before moving your furniture and belongings out, then you will find that your cleaning job is a lot loner, as you have to clean around things, and ensure that nothing is left undone, and then when you do move everything, it will make a mess as well! Why bother undoing all your hard work, just clean after the house is empty, as then you will have less to do in the first place! The bulk of the cleaning will be easy, as now that the house is empty, you don;t have to worry about working around things. It is simply a case of dusting first to get the cobwebs out, and then vacuuming the floors. You can wash down the walls with sugar soap as well, but be aware that this can be a messy job that can take quite a while to get done properly. It is pretty essential that you do not miss any spots out, and this can be easy to do. Cleaning the kitchen will still be a fair old job, as with rented places, the kitchen will usually remain intact. You can always help this process by being regular with your cleaning on a day to day basis in the first place, and you will no doubt find that this means that the end of tenancy cleaning is a lot easier for it. However, it is usually too late to start thinking in that way by now! You will find that cleaning the oven, fridge, microwave, and the insides of the cupboards is the hardest part, so it might be worth doing these bits and pieces well in advance, to ensure that you've done a good job, and don;t over run on the cleaning at the last minute.There is always the argument that you could do away with all this nonsense and just get an end of tenancy cleaner in to do the job. It would cost you a little money, but with all the furniture gone, the hours that it takes would be less than usual, and you would likely find that the resulting clean was a lot better than you could have done, which would keep you from losing any of your deposit!
