Studies show that moving to a new home is one of the most stressful life events. You must find a new place, pack up all your stuff, say goodbye to family and friends, and deal with move-out cleaning, among other things. No wonder most people want to avoid relocating if they can help it. However, with housing prices skyrocketing in Canada and a change in life-work preferences brought about by COVID-19, more Canadians are deciding to move to a new house or apartment. Some are even relocating to a new town or city. While you can’t avoid the stress of a big life change such as relocating, getting help to deal with the stressors can make the process somewhat easier. Instead of tackling your move-out cleaning checklist, hire a professional residential cleaning service in Canada to do it for you.
What is move-out cleaning?
A move-out clean is a specialized cleaning process so the home is ready to welcome new occupants. It is similar to a deep or spring clean because you need to give all the rooms in your house or apartment a thorough clean from top to bottom. However, while the latter happens when you are still living in the home, the former is required when you are in the process of moving out. The cleaning usually occurs when you have emptied the house of your furniture and packed-up items. Wear and tear are usually more visible in an empty place, so you have to put in the extra elbow grease to get rid of stains, scuff marks, odors, and grime hiding inside cupboards, behind and under big furniture and appliances, and around fixtures.
You want to ensure you do an excellent job with move-out cleaning because
- There is a higher chance you can get your security deposit back. Plus, you can make your landlord happy and boost your rental history.
- If you are selling your property, it can be easier to stage a spic-and-span home and sell it for a good price.
That’s right. If you want to ensure you don’t lose a good chunk of cash because you couldn’t properly clean up your place before moving out, tick off every item on that cleaning checklist.
Bring in the professionals. Why?
Our Life Maid Easy expert cleaners team knows what it takes to tackle an arduous task such as move-out cleaning. We’re here to help make your moving-out experience less stressful.
Our residential move-out cleaners can:
- Free up more of your time and energy. By delegating the cleaning to our LME cleaning pros, you can focus on packing up, tidying up your affairs, settling into your new place, and other tasks.
- Make sure you don’t miss a spot. Landlords have different standards and expectations on the condition of their property when a tenant moves out. For example, some may be more particular about pet stains or cigarette smells. This means a move-out cleaning checklist varies for each house or apartment.
Our team of cleaning experts is trained and experienced in handling various cleaning tasks and varying levels of wear-and-tear damage. We will work with you to ensure we cover all areas stipulated in your lease.
What’s included in a move-out cleaning?
A comprehensive move-out cleaning checklist covers all the living areas inside a house or apartment. Outdoor spaces (i.e., patios and driveways) and more extensive/specialized cleaning tasks can require an additional appointment.
Generally, professional move-out residential cleaning service in Canada covers the following:
- Dust all surfaces, shelves, light fixtures, and furniture.
- Vacuum and wash/steam mop floors, carpets, and area rugs.
- Wipe shelves and the inside of all cabinets.
- Clean all doors, door frames, and door knobs.
- Wipe clean all light switches.
- Wash/steam mop all hard-surfaced areas.
- Wipe down staircase railings and handrails.
- Clean the inside and outside of closets.
- Empty out garbage bins.
- In certain rooms, there are also more specific cleaning tasks included.
- Spot clean marks on all walls and baseboards.
- Dust/Vacuum all ceiling fans and ventilation fans.
- Wipe mirrors and glass doors.
- Remove cobwebs.
- Wipe baseboards and heaters.
Bathroom
- Dust all surfaces, shelves, light fixtures, and furniture.
- Dust all surfaces, shelves, light fixtures, and furniture.
- Dust all surfaces, shelves, light fixtures, and furniture.
- Dust all surfaces, shelves, light fixtures, and furniture.
- Dust all surfaces, shelves, light fixtures, and furniture.
Kitchen
- Wash and sanitize counters, sinks, faucets, and filters.
- Clean the fridge, oven, and microwave interior and exterior.
- Wipe smaller appliances, such as the coffee maker and toaster.
- Clean the stovetop.
- Wipe the surface of the dishwasher and disinfect the inside.
- Clean under and around the oven and fridge (if appliances can easily be moved).
Laundry Room
- Clean and refresh the washing machine and dryer and wipe down their exteriors.
Special Move-Out Cleaning Tasks
- Clean all the window blinds/curtains, windows, window frames, and ledges.
- Wash all the walls.
- Sweep and/or power wash outdoor areas, including walkways, patios, porches, and stoops.
- If you have a lawn, rake leaves and mow the grass.
- Remove hard stains, scuff marks, tile grout, and mold growth.
Some companies specializing in residential cleaning services in Canada may include these special tasks in their move-out cleaning services, while others may not. Some may also require an additional appointment and fees if you want to include certain specialized cleaning tasks. Check out our Life Maid Easy Move-Out Cleaning Checklist to know what cleaning services we provide.
Pro Tip:
Schedule your move-out clean after you have removed all the furniture and personal items in your house. This makes it easier, faster, and safer for our LME cleaning staff to get the property sparkling clean. It also improves the safety of cleaners as having fewer items inside the home means fewer hazards for accidents and injury.
Cleaning Tools for Moving-out
Move-out cleaning requires you to tackle dust and grime built up over months or even years. Certain stains or odors accumulated over time can be tougher to remove, so you need the right cleaning tools and equipment. Aside from your trusted environment-friendly cleaning solutions, sponges, brushes, brooms, and microfiber rags, it would be best if you also had specialized cleaning equipment like steam mops, heavy-duty vacuums, and power washers. Our Life Maid Easy professional cleaners will bring these move-out cleaning tools with them, so you don’t have to worry about buying new equipment. That is just another perk when you hire a residential cleaning service in Canada. Another important reason to use the right move-out cleaning equipment is to ensure health and safety. It is not only dust and grime that accumulates inside a home. There are also allergens, pests, mold, bacteria, COVID-19 pathogens, and other potentially harmful substances. You must use the right cleaning tools and techniques for proper sanitation and infection control. Our LME cleaning team is trained to properly disinfect and sanitize following industry standard protocols. Plus, we use only eco-friendly cleaning products to minimize the number of toxins in the home.
Hire Move-Out Cleaners for a More Stress-Free Move
Initially, hiring move-out cleaning services seems like just an additional moving expense. But think about the time and energy you can save, the amount of stress you can avoid, and the cash you get back when you receive your security deposit. Don’t the pros outweigh the cons? Get in touch with our Life Maid Easy move-out cleaning pros so we can help make your experience of moving to a new home more relaxing and enjoyable.