A Comprehensive Look at Move-Out Cleaning in North Shore
Before you can head for your new home, one of the last things you need to do is learn about move-out cleaning in North Shore. Cleaning out your former house or apartment is one of the responsibilities you need to attend to, so you can prepare it for its new occupants.
Why Move-Out Cleaning Should be Done
So, why is it necessary to clean out your old residence in North Vancouver before moving on to the next? Aside from this being an ethical thing to do, it is also imperative as it affects your security deposit and your credit score. The money from your deposit can help in future expenses for your new home. Meanwhile, maintaining an excellent credit score ensures that you are always in good standing with your bank.
Leaving a well-cleaned out house or apartment can also get you a positive reference from your landlord. You will need this if you will still be leasing or renting in the future.
What You Need to Clean
Doing some move-out cleaning may be hard, but it is doable if you are wise about it. First off, you need to plan ahead and create a checklist. This should include all the items that need to be cleaned or repaired on your contract before you can be cleared to move out. Landlords in West Vancouver, as with all other landlords in Canada, usually hand out inspection sheets and these may contain stipulations such as whether they wish for the carpets to be professionally cleaned or just vacuumed.
If you really want to make sure that you have a complete checklist, take time to talk with your landlord. Clarify about things not covered in your lease. Ask about how thorough your move-out cleaning should be. Keep in mind that if your apartment is not as clean as it should be, a portion will be deducted from your security deposit. So, it is best to be sure about everything.
Landlords will expect your former living space to look brand-new when you leave it. This means deep and thorough cleaning, if you wish to do it yourself. This means not just wiping off counters and scrubbing the toilet but cleaning every nook and cranny of your former home until it sparkles.
Here is an items list group by area, which you can use as a reference while cleaning:
Kitchen
- * Fridge (freezer and shelves)
* Cabinets (tops and shelves)
* Inside drawers
* Oven
* Tile grout
* Drip pans
Bathroom
*Every inch of the toilet and tub
* Mirror
* Shower doors
* Oven
* Storage area under the sink
Living Room and Bedrooms
*Carpet Stains
* Floors
* Windows
* Baseboards
* Closet
* Extra space you can find
Patio
Porch
Frontyard
Backyard
All of these need to be cleaned as thoroughly as possible, which means you need to dust, sweep, wash, and scrub everything. Ensuring that everything is spic and span will get you a better chance of getting the full amount you paid for your security deposit.
Now, move-out cleaning is not just about making sure your former home in either Whistler or Squamish is squeaky clean. It is also about ensuring that you don’t leave any junk behind. If you have furniture or other things you won’t be bringing to your new home, be sure to donate or throw them out before you move. This way, you will be leaving your old house or apartment exactly the way you got it.
To Hire a Professional Cleaner or Not
Whether you were living in the general area of North Shore or in other parts of Canada, you have to know that landlords have the right to legally hire professional cleaners for your former home. They can do this if you were not able to do a good job of cleaning it out. The bad thing about when this happens is that you have to shoulder the costs.
So, if you think you could not handle the move-out cleaning of your apartment in Lions Bay, then maybe it is best if you hire professional cleaners to do it for you. They will help you avoid fines as well as save time and energy. It will also maximize the saleability of your home if you have put it up on the market.
However, before you hire these cleaners, it is best if you will look into their inclusions first. While there are cleaners that customise their services according to your needs, there are others that are more stringent when it comes to the limits of their cleaning services. Below are the standard differences between regular cleaning and deep cleaning:
Regular Cleaning:
– Cleaning and disinfecting of bathrooms
– Dusting of all surfaces in the home, including picture frames and general areas of the kitchen
– Mopping and/or vacuuming of floors
– Wiping off of the outsides of range hoods and the microwave
– Wiping clean of tables and chairs
– Cleaning of mirrors
– Wiping down of windowsills
Deep Cleaning:
– Full dusting of all areas and every corner, including areas that are hard to reach
– Vacuuming of furniture and upholstery
– Dusting of intricate/delicate items
– Vacuuming of carpet edges
– Wiping the outside of cabinets
– Cleaning of the insides of oven and range hood
– Getting rid of grime buildup behind appliances
– Removing scale from bathroom tiles, kitchen tiles, and shower heads
– Spot cleaning of doors
– Wiping down of lamp shades
– Thorough cleaning of areas under sinks
– Washing of all blinds
Although these are the common inclusions of regular and deep cleaning, you can ask professional cleaners to do specific cleaning tasks for you. However, you also need to know that there are things you should never expect them to be able to do.
Professional cleaners as they may be, they cannot transform your home instantly. You may feel as though the home is easy to clean because it is empty of belongings. The main difference in a move out clean is that Professionals are focusing on areas that have been uncleaned for years if ever. Professional cleaners can most often bring a home back to its original glory but due to the detail and elbow grease often involved, these cleanings typically take twice as long as a regular clean.
For the move-out cleaning of your former home in North Shore, expect a full day of cleaning before you can achieve the kind of clean that will get you your security deposit in full.
Another thing you should also keep in mind is that it is not the job of these cleaners to tidy up your home for you or remove your junk and trash. This means that if you are supposed to be moving out, then everything should be boxed and kept in a place that will not hinder the cleaners in performing their tasks. Running personal errands for you, like buying your groceries, is not something home cleaners typically do but it never hurts to ask! For a small fee they may be able to help you out with some pick up or drop offs if time allows.
Move-Out Cleaning Rates
Now that you know what to expect from professional cleaners, especially the inclusions of their cleaning services, it is time to check on their average rates. This will help you decide what works best for you.
The average cost of hiring a cleaning company can come to around $216. Usually, these companies charge by square footage or by hour. Average rates can go between $32 and $60 per cleaner or $64 to $116 per hour, with the latter coming with multiple cleaners. Square footage costs, on the other hand, depend on the size of your home. If your home has an area of less than 1,000 square feet, then this could probably cost you around $115. If you have a 3,000-square foot home, then this amount could run up to $323.
If you are planning to hire a cleaning company for a one-time service like for after a party or to get your house ready for an open house, then it can cost from $258 to $388 for a typical-sized home. Meanwhile, if you are looking for a move-out or move-in cleaning in North Shore or in other surrounding areas, it could range from $245 to $1000. These rates will still depend on whether you are charged by square footage or by the hour.
The condition of your home as well as its size will greatly affect cleaning service prices. If you are moving out and need your entire home cleaned out, then here are some factors you need to consider that may affect the costs it could incur:
All the rooms that need to be cleaned.
List down all the rooms in your home that need to be cleaned. Take into consideration the time it takes for you to clean all these rooms yourself. Although professional cleaners work faster, this is a good way to estimate how much you have to pay.
The number of bathrooms in the home.
Bathrooms are the hardest to clean and require different cleaners for different areas. You need to consider these when hiring professional cleaners.
The number of bedrooms or home occupants.
This will give cleaning companies an idea of the usage and occupancy of your house. They expect a home with five people to be messier than one with just three residents.
The number of areas that are hard to reach.
These could be high shelving or windows as well as high or vaulted ceilings. If you have these in your home, then expect to pay for extra charges as cleaning these areas would involve a ladder.
The kind of cleaning products to be used and who will provide it.
A lot of cleaning companies will either ask you to provide your own cleaning products or pay for the ones they will use. Should you wish for a specific type of cleaner, then you should let the cleaners know this right from start. Just keep in mind though that environment-friendly products will cost more than standard cleaners.
Special conditions like pets, allergies, or antiques.
If you have antiques that need special cleaners, then you should inform your cleaners beforehand. The same is true if you have certain allergies involving cleaning products or if you have pets. As certain precautions need to be applied, you can be sure that this will affect the cost of cleaning services.
All the information above are the basics of what you need to know about move-out cleaning in North Shore. They could help you make an informed decision about whether you should clean out your home yourself or hire professional cleaners to do it for you. Should you decide on hiring a cleaning company, then maybe you’d like to contact Life Maid Easy today and ask for a free estimate.