to ask for advice on how to clean a flat in three days?

[CoolToned]

I loathe cleaning, I really do.

We rent a one bedroom flat. It will be inspected next week.

I feel overwhelmed. Where do I start?

I'm thinking of doing it in small increments.

As a landlord, I care about damage. I don't give a shit if it's tidy.

I agree with starting in the kitchen, it tends to be the least cluttered space so easiest to clean and you can use that momentum to get the rest done.

Open windows, get some fresh air circulating, open every blind and curtain in the flat - light and air automatically make it feel cleaner. And don't worry too much about getting rid of the clutter, just get it stored away, you can sort it out after the inspection.

Giraffes really? I've rented for twenty years in various houses and never have I thought they were checking for cannabis farming!

I'm quite friendly with my HA officer and she's quite open about this. I'm a fairly clean person and report issues quickly so she's always apologetic for having to come round and says it's mainly to cover their backs so they can say for certain I've not started using the property for anything illegal.

Gruffalo maybe it's a HA thing. All my rentals have been private apart from one with a letting agent.

What are you hoarding? Do you need any of it? Cleaning, and keeping tidy in the future will be so much easier after a massive declutter.

Yes, possibly. I had inspections when I was private but they were almost certainly just checking I wasn't damaging their property. HA have been more lenient on that front and didn't even bat an eyelid when they saw I'd had a bath installed.

Yes, mould is a big bugbear for tenants and landlords, open windows wide to ventilate and clean any mould off walls etc with diluted bleach. Dettol anti mould spray is amazing on mouldy grout. Mop floors, hoover carpets. Tidy but don't go overboard in having massive declutter when that's not what they'll be looking at.

Though it is always good to declutter when you can - esp is you are a hoarder.
You can't clean crap.

I've been decluttering and I'm not yet done.

Just want to give an update: I cleaned the bathroom today and I sprayed bleach and left it. When I came home from doing groceries, I was surprised at how white the bathroom looks.

I usually use eco-friendly products.

Well done for plodding on op! I currently have a three bed two bathroom shit hole

Personally, I do a 'big clean' room by room.

I know lots of people that would do it in stages - so you collect the dirty washing or used cups from every room. You wash all of the windows in all rooms. Clean all of the floors in every room etc. I could never do it like that. I spend an hour or two on one room and clean it until it sparkles. Then move onto the next room.

Personally I hated Flylady when I was struggling to keep on top of things - it was all about shining the bloody sink if I remember correctly.

Yep, I have three bin bags full of laundry, I can't see my worktops for the dishes and I lost my kids in the mess somewhere about 3 weeks ago - but I do have a lovely shiny sink - great stuff

I find being ruthless is the best way. If you haven't thought about something at the bottom of the junk pile for the last 3 weeks it is time to bin.

I am terrible at clutter and dp is a complete hoarder so I understand really I do!

I tend to focus on the most seen areas first - kitchen, bathroom, hallway. Once they are done everything seems much easier!

The one time I ever had a landlord inspection it was to check that we weren't growing cannabis.

I had recently put plastic sheeting over one of our bedroom windows (my baby was going through a phase of starting the day at 4.45 when the sun came up). We had a strange woman come up to us in the street asking why we had covered the window - she claimed she was the daughter of the old owner, bizzarely, but she was def from the LL's office. The same day we got a letter saying that we were going to have an inspection the next day!

I always think of this when I see Kathryn Mewes telling people to cover their children's windows with foil.

WRT the cleaning; uncluttered /stuff things in drawers then invest in some Cif (the cream lemon one smells delish) - this can be used in the kitchen and bathroom. Magic erasers are the most amazing thing ever and if you are struggling with black mould in the bathroom and really can't get a product to shift it, you can buy grouting pens to cover it up. Good luck - I know what its like to be a messy fucker and also how hideous it is to have someone coming in and judging your private space xx

Sugar Soap cuts through grease and dirt. Wear gloves though as it's quite caustic.

Feeling your pain. We sneaked our cat into a rental fat for a few weeks. When we moved out I cleaned like I have never cleaned in my life. Got full deposit back and no grumbles. We probably left it cleaner than it was before. Knowing where to start was the worst. Feels good when it's done. The less stuff you have the easier it is to stay on top. By far. We've been chipping away at "stuff" for years.

Guess what - the inspector cancelled. And no word when to come back!

Get a load of plastic storage box's. Go into room and sling everything you don't use on a weekly basis so you get rid of the clutter. Then clean. Do it for each room. Yes you will have stack of box's (get ones you can't see though with solid lids). Then take each box in turn and find a home for the stuff.